Adjuvant Chemotherapy of Three-step Regimen in Ovarian Cancer

More than 70 percent of ovarian cancer patients were diagnosed in the advanced stage. Currently the 5-year disease free survival (DFS) of stageⅢC-Ⅳovarian cancer patients was about 10 percent after first line chemotherapy. Dr Cai shumo developed adjuvant chemotherapy of "three steps" (ACTS) for advanced ovarian cancer after cytoreductive surgery, based on his 60+ years experience on gynecologic oncology. After the first step 6-8 cycle paclitaxel plus carboplatin chemotherapy, the chemo-sensative cancer cells were killed, but resistant/dormancy cell remained. The second step chemotherapy which is 6 cycle CTX+VP-16 every 4weeks, using different mechanism to kill cancer cells, may decrease the rate of recurrence within 6 month after first step chemotherapy, prolong platinum-free duration and also with acceptable side effects. After second step chemotherapy, in absence of 6 months platinum treatment, the previous G0 dormancy cell may become flexible to platinum treatment. Therefore, in the third step chemotherapy, CTX+CBP is used in every 8 week for 6 cycles. Comparing to using targeted therapy for maintaining therapy, the ACTS cost less. In the previous observation study(CHINA ONCOLOGY 2013 Vol.23 No.12 p980), In study arm A, the patients received three-step chemotherapy after primary debulking surgery, step one with paclitaxel plus carboplatin (TC regimen), every 3 weeks for 6 to 8 cycles; step two with etoposide plus cyclophosphamide, every 4 weeks for 6 cycles; step three with carboplatin plus cyclophosphamide every eight weeks for six cycles. In control arm B, investigators retrospectively analysed 51 cases withⅢC-Ⅳstage ovarian cancer, who had completely response after standard chemotherapy with six to eight cycles of TC after primary surgery during 2007. Investigators compared the 5-year DFS between the two arms. Results: The 5-year DFS of 15 cases in arm A was 80%(12/15), which was signiifcantly higher than that of arm B (5.9%, 3/51, P\<0.01). Therefore we start this randomized open control clinic trial to evaluated the effect of ACTS on overall survival and its safety.