Ifosfamide treatment of advanced ovarian cancer.

To determine the efficacy of ifosfamide in the treatment of advanced ovarian malignancy, 20 patients with stages III and IV epithelial ovarian cancer were treated with this agent. Of these, 15 received the drug as primary chemotherapy. The response rate was 33%, with a median duration of remission of 13 months. Five patients were treated with ifosfamide after failure with previous chemotherapy; no responses were seen in this group. Hematuria was observed in 2% of the treatment cycles with the use of the antidote mercapto-ethan-sulfonate acid. This study shows that though ifosfamide is an active drug in the treatment of patients with advanced ovarian cancer, it is not superior to traditional single alkylating agents.