Feasibility study on biweekly paclitaxel treatment as maintenance chemotherapy in advanced müllerian carcinoma

Aim: To evaluate the feasibility of biweekly paclitaxel treatment as maintenance chemotherapy for patients with advanced müllerian carcinoma. Methods: Thirty patients with stage III or IV ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancers who underwent primary optimal surgery and standard 6 cycles of carboplatin/taxane-based chemotherapy and exhibited a complete clinical response were entered in this study. Paclitaxel 80 mg/m ² was administered biweekly for 12 cycles. Patients were evaluated monthly for treatment-related toxicity. Results: Four patients, including 3 disease progressions and 1 bone marrow suppression, came off the protocol therapy. Twenty-six (86.7%) patients received complete treatment. Although the major toxicity was neutropenia, most of those patients (27/30, 90.0%) did not experience grade 3 or 4 neutropenia. Twenty-four (80.0%) patients showed persistent grade 1 neuropathy and the remaining 6 (20.0%) did not as a result of prior therapy. However, none experienced neuropathy progression during or after the protocol therapy. Most (17/22, 77.3%) of the completely treated patients experienced a regression of symptoms during and after therapy. Conclusion: Biweekly paclitaxel therapy is well tolerated by patients with advanced müllerian carcinoma and is therefore acceptable as a candidate for maintenance chemotherapy in these patients.