Background: The aim of the study was to analyze the effectiveness of salvage chemotherapy for recurring ovarian carcinoma during or after consolidation chemotherapy.
Patients and methods: During the study period, 12 patients received salvage chemotherapy for recurrence during or after consolidation chemotherapy. These cases were retrospectively reviewed.
Results: The response rate for salvage chemotherapy was 67% and was significantly associated with treatment-free interval (TFI) after consolidation (p=0.038). Progression-free survival was also significantly related to TFI (p=0.032). Combination chemotherapy of cisplatin plus irinotecan was effective in all five cases with TFI≥6 months and in three out of seven cases with TFI<6 months.
Conclusion: Our study provides, for the first time, evidence that effectiveness of salvage chemotherapy for recurrent ovarian carcinoma occurring during or after consolidation chemotherapy can be predicted by TFI, and that combination chemotherapy of cisplatin plus irinotecan is potentially useful for these cases.