Impact of combination chemotherapy with itraconazole on survival for patients with recurrent or persistent ovarian clear cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Recurrent ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC) rarely responds to cytotoxic agents. Itraconazole is a potent inhibitor of the P-glycoprotein efflux pump, angiogenesis, and the Hedgehog pathway. We evaluated the efficacy of chemotherapy with itraconazole for CCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS Medical charts of patients with CCC who had received chemotherapy with itraconazole were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS Among nine patients with CCC, five had a history of progression with paclitaxel and carboplatin, and none had received prior treatment with bevacizumab or other targeted therapy. Eight patients received docetaxel (35 mg/m(2), day 1) and carboplatin-based (area under the curve, 4 mg·min(-1)·mL(-1); day 1) chemotherapy with an oral itraconazole solution (400 mg, days -2 to 2), repeated every two weeks. The response rate, median progression-free survival and overall survival were 44% (95% confidence interval [(CI)=12-77%], 544 days (95% CI=82-544 days) and 1,047 days (95% CI=462-1332 days), respectively. CONCLUSION Chemotherapy with itraconazole is promising for patients with CCC.