Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin in the Management of Ovarian Cancer

摘要

Despite the cytoreductive efforts, and the high responsiveness to standard carboplatin/pacllitaxel front-line treatment, ovarian cancer (OvCa) remains the most lethal gynaecological malignancy with a 5-yr overall survival of only 25%–30% in advanced stage disease. Among the pharmaceutical options available for treatment of OvCa, much attention has been dedicated to pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) (Doxil? in the US; Caelyx? in Canada and Europe); this drug has a unique formulation which has entrapped conven- tional doxorubicin in a bilayer lipidic sphere surrounded by a polyethylene glycol layer, which prolongs the persistence of the drug in the circulation and potentiates its intratumor accumulation. These properties represent the winning resource for this drug in that sustain its very favourable toxicity profile and the safe combination with other drugs. PLD has already been approved for treatment of advanced ovarian cancer patients failing first line platinum-based treatment. Moreover, Phase III trials have been completed, which will hopefully bring PLD to front-line treatment, and in salvage setting in combination with platinum agents. This concise review will focus on the clinical role of PLD in the management of patients with epithelial OvCa.