Treatment helps women with ovarian cancer live significantly longer

MANILA, Philippines - Roche announced this week that OCEANS, a phase III study evaluating bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy (carboplatin and gemcitabine) followed by continued use of bevacizumab alone until disease progression in women with previously treated (recurrent), platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer, met its primary endpoint.

The study showed that women who received a combination of bevacizumab and chemotherapy followed by the continued use of bevacizumab alone, lived longer without their disease worsening (progression-free survival or PFS), compared to women who received chemotherapy alone.

No new safety findings were observed and adverse events were consistent with those seen in previous pivotal trials of bevacizumab.

Full data from the OCEANS study will be submitted for presentation at an upcoming medical meeting.

“We are very pleased with the results of the OCEANS study, as women with ovarian cancer need new treatment options,” said Dr. Hal Barron, chief medical officer and head of global product development.

“Bevacizumab has now demonstrated a significant improvement in PFS in ovarian cancer in three large phase III studies and we are looking forward to sharing the data at an upcoming medical meeting,” Barron added.

The results from this trial build on findings from two previous phase III studies (GOG 0218 and ICON7) in women with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer.