Feasibility study on biweekly paclitaxel treatment as maintenance chemotherapy in advanced müllerian carcinoma.

AIM: To evaluate the feasibility of biweekly paclitaxel treatment as maintenance chemotherapy for patients with advanced müllerian carcinoma.

METHODS

Thirty patients with stage III or IV ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancers who underwent primary optimal surgery and standard 6 cycles of carboplatin/taxane-based chemotherapy and exhibited a complete clinical response were entered in this study. Paclitaxel 80 mg/m(2) was administered biweekly for 12 cycles. Patients were evaluated monthly for treatment-related toxicity.

RESULTS

Four patients, including 3 disease progressions and 1 bone marrow suppression, came off the protocol therapy. Twenty-six (86.7%) patients received complete treatment. Although the major toxicity was neutropenia, most of those patients (27/30, 90.0%) did not experience grade 3 or 4 neutropenia. Twenty-four (80.0%) patients showed persistent grade 1 neuropathy and the remaining 6 (20.0%) did not as a result of prior therapy. However, none experienced neuropathy progression during or after the protocol therapy. Most (17/22, 77.3%) of the completely treated patients experienced a regression of symptoms during and after therapy.

CONCLUSION

Biweekly paclitaxel therapy is well tolerated by patients with advanced müllerian carcinoma and is therefore acceptable as a candidate for maintenance chemotherapy in these patients.