Five ovarian cancer treatments are being reviewed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to ensure the NHS continues to offer the most cost-effective medicines to women.

NICE is considering whether or not the drugs gemcitabine, paclitaxel, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin hydrochloride (PLDH), topetecan and trabectedin should be recommended as treatment options for ovarian cancer that has returned after previous treatment with chemotherapy (recurrent disease).

Sir Andrew Dillon, NICE Chief Executive, said: “Ovarian cancer is one of the most common cancers in women and for the majority of these people, their cancer will return within 2 years of finishing treatment.

“These women, just like all other patients within the NHS, deserve access to treatments that will make the greatest difference to their lives and that the NHS can afford.”

In final draft guidance, NICE says that paclitaxel and PLDH are cost-effective and should continue to be recommended for routine NHS use.

The draft guidance also recommends the treatment PLDH in combination with platinum chemotherapy, a use for which it is not currently licenced. Shown to be 1 of the 2 most effective treatment options for recurrent ovarian cancer, special agreement from the Department of Health was obtained to allow the Institute’s Appraisal Committee to develop this recommendation.

However, the drugs gemcitabine, topetecan and trabectedin were shown to provide less benefit to patients than other options when the disease recurs for the first time at least 6 months after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. NICE does not recommend them at this stage of the disease.

For more details, go to: https://www.nice.org.uk/nice-reviews-ovarian-cancer-guidance-best-treatments