This past week I attended a conference focused on "The Calypso Study". This is a global clinical trial involving the treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer. The 2 drugs involved are Carboplatin and Caelyx. These 2 drugs have been in use for many years and are safe with side effects that are manageable. The difference here is that they are used in combination instead of the traditional Carboplatin and Taxol. Those who have received the frontline treatment of Carboplatin and Taxol during their first bout with ovarian cancer know the side effects of neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, total hair loss, and remnants of neuropathy.
Findings have demonstrated that this new combination treatment plan of Carboplain and Caelyx has similar side effects but much less. Hair becomes thin but not lost, white blood cells and the platelets fall but not as drastically. Neuropathy is lessened by 20%. This makes the treatment easier to tolerate and generates more compliance. However the side effects of Caelyx are known as "the hands and feet syndrome". This is where tingling, loss of the nails and the sense of skin discomfort can occur and are moderate in nature.
Other findings indicate that the overall survival rate is 32 months. Although this may sound like not much, it is enough time for researchers to continue their efforts in finding new modalities for increasing survival rates and developing treatment plans that are easier to tolerate.
More and more we can look to the future that cancer is a disease that is managed with treatments that are easier to tolerate and therefore giving hope to everyone.
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Short of coming up with a new and better chemo altogether for recurrent ovarian cancer, it is interesting to note that improvements can still be made by using what we already have. I have seen quite a few recurrent "ovca women" who are solely on Caelyx. I have heard a lot about mouth sores on this chemo as well as the other problems you have mentioned. I wonder how the docs decide who gets this new combo and who gets the Carbo and Taxol again? If someone has responded very well to Carbo and Taxol at first diagnosis, I wonder why they would change the cocktail? I will ask my oncologist about it at my next appt. although I hope I am lucky enough to never need it!
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