In a new study from Yale University, researchers found that ixabepilone plus bevacizumab (IXA+BEV) is a well-tolerated, effective combination for the treatment of platinum/taxane-resistant ovarian cancer compared to ixabepilone (IXA) alone.
The medicine combination may also significantly extend both progression-free survival and overall survival.
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy.
According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 20,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the United States every year, and more than 12,000 women will die from the disease.
IXA is a microtubule-stabilizing agent that may be beneficial in patients treated with platinum/paclitaxel.
Bevacizumab (BEV) is an antibody that keeps new blood vessels from forming and has shown clinical activity in ovarian cancer.
In the current study, the team randomly assigned 78 patients to receive IXA+BEV or IXA alone. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), Overall survival (OS), safety, and response rates served as secondary endpoints.
Researchers also examined whether the presence of the protein TUBB3 within the tumor could predict clinical response to these drugs.
Among 76 evaluable patients who received IXA+BEV compared to IXA, the response rate was 33% versus 8%, with clinical benefit durable at 6 months in 37% and 3%.
The addition of BEV significantly improved both PFS (5.5 months vs 2.2 months) and OS (10 months vs 6 months). Both regimens were well-tolerated.
As Professor Alessandro Santin at Yale School of Medicine says, new approaches for relapsed ovarian cancer are desperately needed as limited effective combinations currently exist to treat our patients.
The results of this study demonstrated a drug combination that may be an effective treatment for this type of ovarian cancer,
The new findings should have major implications in the field of gynecologic oncology since they add a new, effective treatment for these extremely challenging tumors for which there are otherwise few options.
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The study was conducted by Dana M. Roque et al., and published in British Journal of Cancer.
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