Advances in ovarian cancer chemotherapy

Traditionally, surgery and radiation represented the pillars of cancer ther apy, In contrast to the European approach, in the United States chemotherap y for ovarian cancer has replaced radiation for a long time. Nevertheless, with the aim being cure of the patient, both approaches result in a sometim es severely diminished quality of life for the woman. With the recognition that aggressiveness in therapy many times did not correlate with improved s urvival time, paradigms in the treatment of women with reproductive organ c ancers have shifted lately, Modern antiproliferative therapy strives for bo th, maximizing survival time as well as quality of life. New therapeutic co ncepts as well as an abundance of new drugs await the conclusion of clinica l trials to identify their potential role in the advancement of ovarian can cer therapy. This article reviews the most recent literature available on s ystemic and intraperitoneal chemotherapy of early-stage and advanced epithe lial ovarian cancer, high-dose chemotherapy, and biologic and gene therapy. Chemotherapy of germ cell and malignant ovarian stromal tumors is also dis cussed. Extensive tables provide a comprehensive overview of ongoing clinic al trials in the US as well as elsewhere. Curr Opin Oncol 2000, 12:481-491 (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Inc.