Gynecologic oncology
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Gynecologic oncology · Feb 2009
Whole-body hyperthermia (WBH) in combination with carboplatin in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer - a phase II study.
Despite considerable progress in the front-line treatment in patient with advanced ovarian cancer, the outcome of patients with recurrent or refractory disease is still poor. Based on promising results of a pilot study, we initiated a phase II study with WBH and carboplatin in pretreated patients with advanced ovarian cancer to investigate the toxicity and efficacy of WBH in combination with carboplatin. ⋯ This study confirms that WBH in combination with carboplatin is an active salvage treatment option in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. However, significant hematological toxicity has to be considered and renders this regimen less suitable for palliative care setting. There is no evidence yet, that whole-body hyperthermia contributes to any clinical improvement beyond chemotherapy alone. This question can only be addressed in a randomized phase III trial.