Combination therapy with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin and carboplatin in gynecologic malignancies: a prospective phase II study of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynäekologische Onkologie Studiengruppe Ovarialkarzinom (AGO-OVAR) and Kommission Uterus (AGO-K-Ut).

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: A multicenter non-randomized phase II study was initiated to evaluate tolerability and efficacy of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) in combination with carboplatin in gynecologic malignancies. METHODS: One hundred forty women with recurrent or advanced endometrial (n=31), cervical or vaginal cancer (n=31), uterine sarcomas (n=11), or recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer (n=67) received six courses of PLD 40 mg/m2 and carboplatin (AUC 6) every 28 days. RESULTS: Hematological toxicities with NCI-CTC grade 3/4 were anemia in 8%, thrombocytopenia in 14%, neutropenia in 24%, and febrile neutropenia in 2% of 652 cycles. Grade 3/4 non-hematological toxicities included fatigue (14% of patients), pain (10%), dyspnea (9%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (7%), and nausea/vomiting (7%). Dose intensity reached 87.2% for PLD and 88.2% for carboplatin. Seventy-four percent of all non-progressive patients received at least 5 cycles. Overall response rates were (116 patients evaluable for response) ovarian cancer (n=54) 68%, endometrial cancer (n=27) 44%, uterine sarcomas (n=9) 33%, and cervical/vaginal cancer (n=26) 12%. Median progression-free survival was 11.6 months (95%CI 9.6-14.1) for ovarian cancer and 9.5 months (95%CI 6.6-12.6) for endometrial cancer. Median overall survival was 23.8 months (95%CI 19.0-30.2) and 21.4 months (95%CI 11.9-), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of PLD and carboplatin was well tolerated and feasible in patients with gynecologic malignancies. Efficacy was low in cervical/vaginal cancer, but promising in patients with endometrial cancer. Efficacy was within the expected range in recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer and is currently under further investigation in a prospective randomized phase III trial comparing PLD/carboplatin with paclitaxel/carboplatin (CALYPSO-trial; AGO-OVAR 2.9).