Drug Combination Shows Hope for Ovarian Cancer

According to an article in the Washington Post this week, the anti-cancer drug trabectedin shows promise in treating women with recurrent ovarian cancer, according to a study led by researchers at the University of California, Irvine.

With more than 20,000 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, and more than 15,000 deaths from the disease yearly, early detection and treatment are imperative. In cases where the cancer is caught early and confined to the ovaries, survival rates are as high as 90% for five years following treatment. Once the cancer has spread beyond the ovaries, the survival rate drops to 30%.

Trabectedin (brand name Yondelis) is used in Europe and South Korea to treat advanced soft tissue sarcoma. It's also being tested for treatment of prostate, breast and pediatric cancers.

The international Phase III study included 672 ovarian cancer patients whose disease had progressed after first-line treatment. Half the women received standard treatment with the chemotherapy drug pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, while the other half received the chemotherapy drug and trabectedin.

Women who received the combination therapy had no cancer progression for an average of 7.3 months, compared to 5.8 months for those who received the chemotherapy drug alone.

Read more about this at the Washington Post.