Platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer: liminal advances

Mené sur 682 patientes atteintes d’un cancer de l’ovaire récidivant, cet essai de phase III compare l’efficacité, du point de vue de la survie sans progression, et la toxicité de deux stratégies thérapeutiques à base de bévacizumab, l’une combinant bévacizumab, carboplatine et gemcitabine (traitement standard), l’autre combinant bévacizumab, carboplatine et doxorubicine liposomale pégylée, après l’échec d’une chimiothérapie de première ligne à base de sels de platine

Résumé en anglais

In The Lancet Oncology, Jacobus Pfisterer and colleagues report the results of their randomised, phase 3 trial of bevacizumab and platinum-based combinations for potentially platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer, unexpectedly showing that carboplatin–pegylated liposomal doxorubicin–bevacizumab (experimental group) outperformed carboplatin–gemcitabine–bevacizumab (standard group) in terms of progression-free survival, overall survival, and toxicity. Since the arrival of targeted therapy for ovarian cancer, commentators have tended to mock traditional chemotherapy as the so-called toxic option. It is encouraging that well designed and well conducted trials are still redefining the standard of care in this setting.