Controversies Regarding Ovarian Cancer Treatments Addressed

Trials have raised questions on the current management and standard of care for advanced ovarian cancer (AOC). These controversies highlight implications for future clinical research and policy-making, as reviewed in an article published in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer.

According to the paper, ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in women though unfortunately, the disease is only diagnosed at advanced stages. This study, led by Max S. Mano, Consultant Medical Oncologist, critically analyzes and highlights potential caveats in the controversial issues involved in AOC management.

Surgery, chemotherapy, dosage and duration are among the topics reviewed to “reconstruct the development of the current standard first-line therapy for AOC” due to the crucial questions remaining regarding optimal management even after research has moved forward. Such questions include whether the doublet platinum-cyclophosphamide, used in chemotherapy, was actually the best comparator for now standard platinum-paclitaxel; also questioned was the potential of higher doses.

“Unfortunately, these questions are unlikely to be definitively answered as the interest is now moving towards other more relevant issues, such as the incorporation of biological therapies and new agents into clinical practice,” states Mano. “It is however important that oncologists who will be facing patients with their particularities and a wide range of clinical situations, be aware of such controversies as this may occasionally influence their decisions in daily practice.”

Mano stresses the importance of avoiding similar mistakes in developing future clinical trials and suggests that this review could be an additional source of reference for policy-makers.