New Treatment Offers Hope For Ovarian Cancer Patients
New Study Increases Survival Rates
Posted: 7:38 pm EST January 4,2006Updated: 6:20 pm EST January 5,2006
A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed a different way of administering chemo therapy can increase survival rates by several months.Ovarian cancer is the most deadly kind of gynecological cancer.
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Every year 24,000 American women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and every year 15,000 women die from the disease .There is no good screening test for the disease and symptoms are vague, so by the time most women are diagnosed, they are in the late stages of the disease.This newest study shows that administering cancer drugs directly into the abdomen boosts survival rates by as much as 18 months.Until now the gold standard treatment for ovarian cancer has been to deliver chemotherapy through an IV into a vein.This newer method is called intraperitoneal.It uses the same cancer drugs, but they are infused through a catheter directly into the cancer site.The drugs slowly wash directly over the diseased area, almost like a bath.Magee Women's Hospital Oncologist, Dr. Robert Ewards , has used the technique on a small group of high-risk patients with great success.Dr. Ewards said “The prolonged exposure, a higher concentration, the long exposure and concentration lead to regression of the disease."While most women have good results with the current protocols, remission is short lived.About 70 to 80 percent of these women will have a recurrence of the cancer.With the intraperitoneal treatment, Dr. Edwards said, ”The relapse rate decreases and we have a higher percentage of patients that have long-term survival, with rates of five years or greater.”The treatment is so promising that the National Cancer Institute is now urging doctors to use the procedure.The group believes it should become the new gold standard treatment.This is the first time since 1991 that the NCI has endorsed any cancer treatment.There is a downside to the treatment: It is very toxic.Dr Edwards said “Those women had more side effects than vein therapy, but response rates and overall survival was markedly improved."Due to increased side effects only 40 percent of the women studied were able to complete the treatment.Dr. Edwards said however, even those women saw improvement in remission rates.Due to the increased side effects, the NCI recommended intraperitoneal treatment for younger women who may be more likely to tolerate the rigorous treatment.Dr. Ewards said he will now use the treatment on a larger number of women. “We’d like to put more women into remission and have remissions last longer. That appears possible in some instances with the use of this approach.”
For more information about cancer and referral services call (412)-647-2811.You can also receive more information about ovarian cancer by visiting the following Web sites:www.ovarian.org
www.ovariancanada.org
www.ovarianpgh.org
Every year 24,000 American women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and every year 15,000 women die from the disease .There is no good screening test for the disease and symptoms are vague, so by the time most women are diagnosed, they are in the late stages of the disease.This newest study shows that administering cancer drugs directly into the abdomen boosts survival rates by as much as 18 months.Until now the gold standard treatment for ovarian cancer has been to deliver chemotherapy through an IV into a vein.This newer method is called intraperitoneal.It uses the same cancer drugs, but they are infused through a catheter directly into the cancer site.The drugs slowly wash directly over the diseased area, almost like a bath.Magee Women's Hospital Oncologist, Dr. Robert Ewards , has used the technique on a small group of high-risk patients with great success.Dr. Ewards said “The prolonged exposure, a higher concentration, the long exposure and concentration lead to regression of the disease."While most women have good results with the current protocols, remission is short lived.About 70 to 80 percent of these women will have a recurrence of the cancer.With the intraperitoneal treatment, Dr. Edwards said, ”The relapse rate decreases and we have a higher percentage of patients that have long-term survival, with rates of five years or greater.”The treatment is so promising that the National Cancer Institute is now urging doctors to use the procedure.The group believes it should become the new gold standard treatment.This is the first time since 1991 that the NCI has endorsed any cancer treatment.There is a downside to the treatment: It is very toxic.Dr Edwards said “Those women had more side effects than vein therapy, but response rates and overall survival was markedly improved."Due to increased side effects only 40 percent of the women studied were able to complete the treatment.Dr. Edwards said however, even those women saw improvement in remission rates.Due to the increased side effects, the NCI recommended intraperitoneal treatment for younger women who may be more likely to tolerate the rigorous treatment.Dr. Ewards said he will now use the treatment on a larger number of women. “We’d like to put more women into remission and have remissions last longer. That appears possible in some instances with the use of this approach.”
For more information about cancer and referral services call (412)-647-2811.You can also receive more information about ovarian cancer by visiting the following Web sites:www.ovarian.org
www.ovariancanada.org
www.ovarianpgh.org
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