Australian cancer specialists may hold key to next advancement in ovarian cancer treatment

Associate Professor Jim Coward, an oncologist at Icon Cancer Care in South Brisbane, is leading the first clinical trial of Cantrixil, a locally developed molecule by biotech Novogen that could enable intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy to again become a viable treatment option in patients where it has become ineffective due to resistance. Flinders Medical Centre in South Australia and Westmead Hospital in Sydney are also participating, along with leading US hospitals Peggy and Charles Stephenson Cancer Centre, and Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centre.

The Phase 1 trial, which is designed to understand the safety profile of Cantrixil in human subjects and establish a Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD) for the drug, commenced in December 2016 and preliminary results are expected as early as next year.

Ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer in women, and the sixth most common cause of cancer death for women in Australia. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates that in 2017, 1580 new cases will be diagnosed and 1047 women will die from ovarian cancer.

"We’ve seen massive developments in other types of cancer but ovarian cancer has remained a challenge and, despite it being an unforgiving disease for women, treatment options have fallen behind as money and research are focused elsewhere," Associate Professor Coward said.

"The survival rate for ovarian cancer is poor because of the high rate of relapse after standard-of-care treatment and the late stage at which the disease tends to be diagnosed. The vast majority of patients who relapse will eventually become resistant to chemotherapy, so it’s imperative that we have a bigger portfolio of treatment options."