Nuclear Oncology

A drug of marine origin, ovarian cancer
The first antitumor drug of marine origin, was one of the protagonists of the European Congress of Medical Oncology (ESMO) held in Stockholm. They have released the results that could lead to the adoption of this marine anti-tumor to treat women with ovarian cancer who have relapsed after receiving other treatments.

Responsible for presenting research, has been Bradley Monk, one of the specialists at the University of California, (USA) who conducted the study in phase III registration. It was conducted in 672 women from 138 hospitals in 21 countries around the world.

All of them had relapsed after receiving standard first-line chemotherapy. After the recurrence of ovarian cancer, half of the participants received liposomal doxorubicin and the other half a combination of doxorubicin and Yondelis (trabectedin). Trabectedin, ET-743 or as it is known in the laboratory, is a derivative of a marine compound, the ‘Ecteinascidia turbinata’, which is produced artificially and on the premises of the group’s subsidiary Galician Zeltia. So far, this product was approved throughout the European Union only to treat advanced soft tissue sarcomas, while in the U.S. is considered as an orphan drug for soft tissue sarcoma and ovarian cancer.

At work, patients receiving Yondelis soon experience a relapse and a half months more than the other group (7.3 versus 5.8 months). This disease-free survival was extended up to 9.2 months in those who suffered recurrence more than six months after their first treatment, compared to only 7.5 among those not receiving Yondelis.

“This is good news for patients, but now begins the real challenge for oncologists to see in what contexts will have a significant contribution. It is not, he insists, Yondelis start using from now on all women with ovarian cancer who relapse but patients find a niche in which the combination is really beneficial. probably find him in those relapses that occur between six and 12 months after the first chemotherapy, “says Antonio Gonzalez, a member Spanish Group for Ovarian Cancer (GEICO).

Much more optimistic Monk has been shown in Stockholm. “These are exciting results because positive trials in advanced ovarian cancer are rare. If the drug would be approved for all women with this disease much needed another chance.”