Ovarian cancer chemotherapy

The treatment oi ovarian cancer has evolved over the past two decades from one of palliation to one where patients can achieve prolonged remission and cure. Although prognosis remains poor. It has improved with the interventi on of a multidisciplinary team and greater site specialization in the organ ization of cancer services. The introduction of new chemo-therapy agents bo th as first line treatment and on relapse has had a benefit in terms or ove rall survival and progression-free survival. In this review we describe fir st-line therapy, including the use of intraperitoneal chemotherapy, the imp ortance of dose and dose intensity in platinum agents and the treatment of refractory and relapsed disease. Finally the review focuses on important pr ognostic factors and how these can be used to predict outcome. (C) 2001 Har court Publishers Ltd.