Gemcitabine plus carboplatin in platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian carcinoma

Although the general intent of treatment for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer is palliative, and cure does not seem to be a realistic objective in this setting, median overall survival is greater than 12 months in platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer. Patients with ovarian cancer can now expect that the time from first relapse of their disease to death will be longer than the period from diagnosis to that first relapse. There is current evidence from prospective randomized trials that carboplatin combined with either paclitaxel or gemcitabine confers a progression-free survival advantage over platinum monotherapy for patients with platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer. Since the efficacy of paclitaxel/platinum and gemcitabine/carboplatin regimens appears to be comparable based on similar progression-free survival (both combinations confer a 3-month advantage), toxicity profiles should be taken into account when deciding on the combination to be used. The gemcitabine/carboplatin combination should be preferred in patients with underlying peripheral neuropathy. Since alopecia associated with paclitaxel can diminish the overall quality of life, the gemcitabine plus carboplatin combination may be preferable for patients in whom alopecia is a major consideration. This review provides an update on the role of the gemcitabine/carboplatin combination in platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer.