Complete remission of recurrent and refractory ovarian cancers using weekly administration of bevacizumab and gemcitabine/oxaliplatin: report of two cases.

BACKGROUND

A combination therapy with gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GEMOX) yielded a moderate activity in platinum-resistant ovarian cancers; however, frequent severe toxicities, such as thrombocytopenia and neurotoxicity, were observed. A certain modification of schedule might therefore facilitate the clinical application of the regimen. The authors report two cases that achieved complete response to a weekly administration of bevacizumab and GEMOX.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two patients with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancers received a weekly regimen of GEMOX with bevacizumab: 2 mg/kg of bevacizumab, 300 mg/m2 of gemcitabine, and 30 mg/m2 of oxaliplatin, three weeks on and one week off, Q4 weeks. Complete remission was observed after three to four courses of therapy. Hematologic and non-hematologic toxicities more than grade 2 were not observed during chemotherapy. The patients are now without tumor progression more than 12 months after initiation of therapy.

CONCLUSION

Weekly administration of bevacizumab and GEMOX had potential activity in recurrent and refractory ovarian carcinomas. These findings warrant necessity of further trial in such clinical settings.