Aim: The aim of this Phase II study was to evaluate the activity and safety of biweekly pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) and oxaliplatin (L-OHP) in patients with platinum-taxane resistant ovarian cancer.
Materials and methods: Treatment consisted of PLD (20 mg/m²) on Day 1; and L-OHP (50 mg/m²) administered on Days 1 and 2, every two weeks. Response to therapy was assessed using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors RECIST ; toxicity was evaluated by the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria.
Results: Forty patients pretreated with platinum/taxane chemotherapy, with a median age of 61 years, were recruited for the study. Thirty-eight patients were available for response evaluation: three complete responses and nine partial responses were registered; resulting in an overall response rate of 31.5%. Twenty-eight patients gained clinical benefit (73.7%) from this chemotherapy regimen. Median time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) were 5.5 and 10 months respectively. The hematological and non-hematological toxicity profile was favorable. No Grade 4 toxicity was observed. Major toxicities included Grade 3 neutropenia (13.2%), Grade 2 palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (7.9%), and Grade 1-2 neuropathy in 15.8% of patients.
Conclusion: Biweekly PLD and L-OHP combination has high activity, with less than anticipated adverse toxicity, for treatment of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. A comparison of the doublet PLD/L-OHP with single-agent treatment is warranted.