IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 16 (UPI) -- A U.S. scientist says a combination of the new drug trabectedin with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin provides clinical benefit for relapsed ovarian cancer.
University of California-Irvine Associate Professor Bradley Monk said the combination, which does not include a platinum drug, challenges the current standard of treatment for women whose cancer recurs at least 6 months after first-line treatment.
"This trial, which included almost two-thirds such women, challenges this traditional paradigm and suggests that a non-platinum doublet is also effective in this setting," he said. "Trabectedin represents a new chemical entity in North America and, if approved by the FDA, would be an important new option for women with recurrent ovarian cancer."
Trabectedin, a synthetic version of a compound first isolated from sea-squirts, has been granted marketing approval in Europe for the treatment of patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma.
Monk made the statement in Stockholm, Sweden, while presenting his study during the 33rd Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology.
