IFOSFAMIDE MESNA PLUS ADRIAMYCIN AS SALVAGE THERAPY OF ADVANCED EPITHELIAL OVARIAN-CANCER/

The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy and toxicity of ifosfamide/mesna plus adriamycin as salvage therapy for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). From October 1992 to September 1995, patients w ith advanced EOC who had their recurrent disease after platinum and cy clophosphamide received ifosfamide(IFX)/mesna and adriamycin (ADR). IF X was administered as a 24-hour infusion at a dose of 1.2 g/m(2) daily for three days and 1.2 g/m(2) of mesna were added to the infusion sol ution and run for the subsequent 24 hours after completion of the IFX. ADR was given as a single intravenous bolus at a dose of 50 mg/m(2) o n day 1. Measurements include objective response, duration of response and toxicities to the therapy regimen. There were 20 patients who rec eived the therapy regimen, a total of 54 cycles: their median age was 50 years, range 25-71. Of the 17 evaluable patients, two achieved clin ical response (1CR, 1PR) for an objective response rate of 11.8%. Howe ver, among 14 patients with platinum-refractory disease, the response rate was only 7.1% (95% CI 0.2%, 33.9%) (1CR, 0PR). At the time of the report, the patient is alive without evidence of disease. Eight patie nts (47.0%) had stable disease. Median time to progression was five mo nths, range two to six. Alopecia and microscopic hematuria were the co mmon toxicities. In conclusion, the combination of ifosfamide/mesna an d adriamycin has tolerable toxicities, but its efficacy as salvage the rapy in platinum-refractory epithelial ovarian cancer is modest.