Docetaxel Shows Efficacy In Ovarian Cancer

Already approved for advanced breast and non-small cell lung cancer in various countries worldwide, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer's taxoid drug Taxotere (docetaxel) is now showing promise in a range of new tumors, notably advanced ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer death in women and the most common gynecological cancer. Early-stage disease is usually treated using surgery, but in most cases a combination of surgery and chemotherapy are required. The gold-standard chemotherapeutic regimen was for many years cisplatin plus cyclophosphamide, but with the advent of Bristol-Myers Squibb's Taxol (paclitaxel), cisplatin plus paclitaxel regimens are increasingly used. Now, docetaxel is emerging as an alternative taxoid for inclusion in ovarian cancer regimens.

Phase II Results Show Promising Activity At an R-PR-sponsored symposium held in Prague to coincide with Taxotere's launch in the Czech Republic, Stan Kaye of Glasgow's Western Infirmary presented data from four Phase II trials in ovarian cancer patients; two conducted by the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer and two carried out in the USA. The EORTC studies enrolled a total of 256 patients, while 84 patients were accrued in the USA. All patients had received previous chemotherapy with a platinum-based regimen, and were administered Taxotere at its standard approved dose regimen of 100mg/m2 given as a one-hour infusion every three weeks.