EFFICACY OF CARBOPLATIN PLUS PRIMARY PROPHYLACTIC FILGRASTIM (GRANULOCYTE-COLONY-STIMULATING-FACTOR) IN RELAPSED OVARIAN-CANCER - A STUDY OF THE GYNECOLOGIC-ONCOLOGY-GROUP OF THE COMPREHENSIVE-CANCER-CENTER-LIMBURG

A total of 34 patients with advanced ovarian cancer, who relapsed 1-72 months after at least one first-line cisplatin-based chemotherapy pro tocol, were treated with carboplatin, 350 mg/m(2)q 4 weeks, with the a djunct of primary prophylactic granulocyte colony stimulating factor ( G-CSF; filgrastim), 300 or 480 mu g daily, days 5-9. Over 90% of the a nticipated dose of carboplatin could be administered. Partial response , defined as a decline in CA-125 of 50% or more on two consecutive sam ples, occurred in 42%, while 15% of patients achieved a complete respo nse (no clinical signs of disease with normalization of CA-125). Survi val from start of carboplatin treatment was 23 months. Myelosuppressio n was the most important toxicity with 35% of patients experiencing gr ade 4 thrombocytopenia of short duration. Grade 4 leucopenia occurred in only one patient, It is concluded that single-agent carboplatin, wi th the adjunct of prophylactic G-CSF, can be administered with adequat e dose intensity, and is an effective and acceptable palliative treatm ent for patients with relapse after first-line cisplatin-based chemoth erapy.