SALVAGE THERAPY FOR RECURRENT AND REFRACTORY OVARIAN-CANCER WITH HIGH-DOSE CHEMOTHERAPY AND AUTOLOGOUS BONE-MARROW SUPPORT - A GYNECOLOGIC-ONCOLOGY-GROUP PILOT-STUDY

Nine patients with recurrent or refractory epithelial ovarian carcinom a following previous chemotherapy were treated with high-dose carbopla tin (300 mg/m2) and ifosfamide according to a dose escalation schedule (1.50, 1.75, 2.00 g/m2), each given intravenously daily for 5 days wi th autologous bone marrow support. Eight of the nine patients were eva luable for response. Five achieved complete response (CR), all of whom relapsed at 4, 5, 6, 8, and 23 months following treatment. Two partia l responses persisted for 6 months, and one patient with stable diseas e progressed after 2 months and has since died of disease. The median duration of remission was 6 months. The treatment was well tolerated a cross the doses of ifosfamide with the exception of one treatment-rela ted death which was due to acute renal failure and central nervous sys tem toxicity from ifosfamide. It appears that the use of high-dose che motherapy with autologous bone marrow support in the treatment of ovar ian cancer produced a high rate of response of short duration in this small group of heavily pretreated women. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.