Taxol First-Line Choice For Ovary Cancer: ASCO Study...

Bristol-Myers Squibb's Taxol (paclitaxel) in combination with cisplatin represents the best first-line therapy for patients with advanced ovar-ian cancer, and improves survival time by 57% compared to cyclophosphamide plus cisplatin, according to a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Los Angeles last month.

Clinical investigator William McGuire of John Hopkins University said that Taxol should be the "new standard" for first-line treatment of the disease. The drug was approved as a second-line therapy for ovarian cancer in December 1992, and for refractory breast cancer in April 1994.

Dr McGuire presented results of a Phase III trial of the drug in 385 patients with stage III or IV ovarian cancer. The patients were randomized to receive either 135mg/m2 Taxol plus 75mg/m2 cisplatin or 750mg/m2 cyclophosphamide plus 75mg/m2 cisplatin. The average survival time was 37.5 months in the Taxol group compared to 24.4 months in the cyclophosphamide group, which was highly statistically significant, noted Dr McGuire. Median progression-free survival was 18 months and 12.9 months respectively. Furthermore, tumor shrinkage was observed in 73% of the women in the Taxol group, versus 60% of women in the cyclophosphamide group. A clinical response (from 218 evaluable patients) was seen in 77% of the Taxol group and 64% of the cyclophsphamide group.