Lessons learned from a decade of clinical trials of high-dose chemotherapy in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is one of the most chemosensitive solid tumors and therefore a good example to explore high-dose chemotherapy (HDC). Interest in pursuing this treatment arose in the late 1980s following the success of HDC in treating hematological cancers and improvements in supportive care with peripheral blood stem cells. Experience from phase II trials and analysis of Bone Marrow Transplant Registry data led to the launch of several randomized phase III trials in the late 1990s. Initial enthusiasm for this treatment was in part due to the preliminary positive data emerging from HDC in breast cancer. Five randomized trials of HDC in ovarian cancer have been conducted and all experienced difficulty in recruitment. Their different designs and results are reviewed, as well as some of the lessons that have been learned about HDC in solid tumors in the last decade