Chemotherapy treatment for ovarian cancer (OC) is diverse, predominantly in later lines of treatment. There is much practice variation in treatment as soon as platinum-based chemotherapy is no longer the treatment of choice, and many different (single) agents are being used from that point onwards. This was concluded in a study recently published in Medical Oncology. In this study patterns of chemotherapy and other systemic treatments among patients with OC in daily clinical practice in the Netherlands were described and survival outcomes following subsequent lines of treatment were evaluated. Linked data from the PHARMO Database Network and the Eindhoven Cancer Registry were used. With various new treatment options becoming available for the treatment of OC in the near future, including targeted therapies, the importance of clinical guidance is unmistakable. In disease areas such as OC, where patient heterogeneity warrants a level of individualised care, clear guidelines should prevent arbitrariness while ensuring that physicians can properly choose the most suitable treatment for each individual patient.

To read more, please click here.