SINGLE-DOSE INTRAPERITONEAL RADIOIMMUNOTHERAPY WITH THE MURINE MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODY I-131 MOV18 - CLINICAL-RESULTS IN PATIENTS WITH MINIMAL RESIDUAL DISEASE OF OVARIAN-CANCER

Sixteen of 19 enrolled patients with minimal residual disease of ovari an cancer (macroscopic disease <5 mm or positive blind biopsies and/or positive peritoneal washing), demonstrated by surgical second-look, u nderwent intraperitoneal radioimmunotherapy (RIT) with the radiolabell ed monoclonal antibody I-131 MOv18 (mean dose 14 mg of MOv18 with 3700 GBq of I-131) 30-40 days after the second-look procedure. Clinical fo llow-up and/or third-look evaluation performed 90 days after RIT showe d complete response (CR) in 5 patients, no change (NC) in 6 patients a nd progressive disease (PD) in 5 patients. Follow-up study showed long -term maintained CR in 1 patient (34 months) and relapses in the other 4 patients after a mean disease-free period of 10.5 months. 5 NC pati ents showed clinical or instrumental progression after a mean disease- free period of 13 months. The toxicity of RIT was negligible. Only 1 p atient showed mild and transient bone marrow suppression (platelet cou nt nadir 52000 mm(3) after 30 days). HAMA production was demonstrated in 94% (15/16) of patients. In conclusion, RIT appears to be a very pr omising therapeutic approach to treat minimal residual disease of ovar ian cancer.