ACCEPTANCE, TOLERANCE AND COMPLIANCE OF WEEKLY PACLITAXEL THERAPY FOR EPITHELIAL OVARIAN CANCER

PROBLEM STATEMENT-

Every Year, 240,000 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer with five year survival rate less than 45%. Majority of ovarian cancer (85% to 90%) is epithelial in origin. Therefore, both surgery and chemotherapy required for comprehensive disease treatment. Weekly paclitaxel regimen is a new approach to chemotherapy in epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

METHODS- Total 38 patients of EOC were included in which 18 were cases who recieved weekly dose dense paclitaxel therapy and 20 were controls who recieved three weekly paclitaxel therapy. After every chemotherapy course, evaluation was done for side effects and they were recorded grade wise from G0-G6 according to CTCAEv5.0( Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events). Comparison and analysis of incidence and severity of side effects has been done using chi -square test and student t test using SPSS (software version 26).

RESULTS-

The grade 2 and above side effects were significantly less common with weekly dose dense paclitaxel carboplatin therapy as compared to 3 weekly paclitaxel carboplatin therapy. Mean grade of severity of side effects were significantaly lower in weekly regimen compared to 3 weekly regimen.

CONCLUSION-

Hence it is concluded that weekly paclitaxel regimen is well accepted, feasible and tolerated for both neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy in epithelial ovarian cancer.