Combination chemotherapy with irinotecan hydrochloride (CPT-11) and mitomycin C in platinum-refractory ovarian cancer

The aim of this study was to examine the level of activity of irinotecan hydrochloride (CPT-11) and mitomycin-C (MMC) combination chemotherapy in a patient population with platinum-refractory ovarian cancer. Patients received CPT-11 (140 mg/m(2)) in combination with MMC (7 mg/m(2)) on days 1, 15, 29 until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity developed, or they elected to discontinue treatment. Overall, 61 cycles of CPT-11/MMC chemotherapy were delivered to 13 patients. The major toxicity with this regimen was neutropenia, which was brief and reversible. The incidences of grade 3 and 4 neutropenia were 46% (6/13) and 15% (2/13), respectively. The nonhematological toxicities were generally mild and well tolerated. Of the 13 patients, 4 (31%) experienced an objective response (1 CR, 3 PRs). Among responders, the median duration of response was 30 weeks (range, 12 to 292+ weeks). The median time to progression for the 13 patients who received treatment on this trial was 24 weeks (range, 8 to 292+ weeks), with a median survival of 36 weeks (range, 20 to 292+ weeks). This preliminary study shows that the combination of CPT-11 and MMC appears to be an active regimen in patients with refractory ovarian cancer.