Women suffering from recurrent ovarian cancer may have a new treatment regimen that may increase the response to treatment and prolong their lives. Doctors at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute are testing a combination of chemotherapy and the drug Avastin in these patients. Moffitt opened a clinical trial recently and is looking for new participants for the study.

"We can often get the cancer to shrink for periods of time, but ultimately, it becomes resistant to standard chemotherapies," said Dr. Robert Wenham, member of the gynecologic oncology program at Moffitt. "The hope is that by using these targeted therapies, we can prolong and manage the cancer making it more of a chronic disease process rather than something that's going to take the patient's life."

The clinical trial will address ovarian cancers that are incurable and tough to treat. It will target women whose cancer has returned in the first year after initial treatment. Some data shows the new targeted therapy leads to higher responses and better survival than traditional chemotherapy drugs alone.

"Avastin targets the molecules that cancers use to grow new blood vessels. Therefore, it chokes the cancer off," said Wenham.

Moffitt is looking for clinical trial participants who have a recurrence or progression of ovarian cancer within a year of prior platinum chemotherapy. These women may have had up to two prior chemotherapy regimens for this malignancy. For more information on participating in the clinical trial, call (813) 745-7272.

About H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute

Located in Tampa, Florida on the University of South Florida campus, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute (moffitt) is the only Florida-based cancer center with the NCI designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center for its excellence in research and contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Moffitt currently has 15 affiliates in Florida, one in Georgia and two in Puerto Rico. Additionally, Moffitt is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a prestigious alliance of the country's leading cancer centers, and is listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of America's Best Hospitals for cancer. Moffitt's sole mission is to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer.

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View drug information on Avastin.