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Ovarian Epithelial Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)
Patient Version   Health Professional Version   En español   Last Modified: 04/16/2009
Table 3: Other Drugs That Have Been Used in the Setting of Recurrent Ovarian Cancer: (Efficacy Not Well Defined After Failure of Platinum-Containing Regimens)

Drugs  Drug Class  Major Toxicities  Comments 
Etoposide Topoisomerase II inhibitor Myelosuppression; alopecia Oral; rare leukemia dampens interest
Cyclophosphamide and several other bischloroethylamines Alkylating agents Myelosuppression; alopecia (only the oxazaphosphorines) Leukemia and cystitis; uncertain activity after platinums
Hexamethylmelamine (Altretamine) Unknown but probably alkylating prodrugs Emesis and neurotoxicity Oral; uncertain activity after platinums
Irinotecan Topoisomerase I inhibitor Diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms Cross-resistant to topotecan
Oxaliplatin Platinum Neuropathy, emesis, myelosuppression Cross-resistant to usual platinums, but less so
Vinorelbine Mitotic inhibitor Myelosuppression Erratic activity
Fluorouracil and capecitabine Fluoropyrimidine antimetabolites Gastrointestinal symptoms and myelosuppression Capecitabine is oral; may be useful in mucinous tumors
Pemetrexed Folic acid antagonist Myelosuppression, rash Under study in combinations with carboplatin
Tamoxifen Antiestrogen Thromboembolism Oral; minimal activity, perhaps more in subsets


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