Phase 2 trial of chronic low-dose oral etoposide as salvage therapy of platinum-refractory ovarian cancer

Summary Eighteen previously treated patients with advanced ovarian cancer were entered into a phase 2 trial of chronic low-dose oral etoposide (50 mg/day for 20 days, repeated every 28 days) to determine the activity of this therapeutic strategy in organoplatinum-refractory disease. The treatment program was generally well tolerated, with mild neutropenia the most common side-effect encountered. One patient (6%; 95% confidence interval=0–17%) achieved a partial response, which lasted for 11 months. Three additional patients (17%), who failed to meet the criteria of a partial response, demonstrated objective evidence of antineoplastic activity. Chronic low-dose oral etoposide administration is associated with definite, although modest, activity in platinumrefractory ovarian cancer.Supported in part by the Avon Program in Ovarian Cancer, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, NCI grant 52477, and a grant from the Bristol-Myers Oncology Division