Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015;19(5):350-3.
doi: 10.5114/wo.2014.43975. Epub 2014 Jul 15.

Two drugs are better than one. A short history of combined therapy of ovarian cancer

Barbara Bukowska  1 , Arkadiusz Gajek  1 , Agnieszka Marczak  1
Affiliations
Review

Two drugs are better than one. A short history of combined therapy of ovarian cancer

Barbara Bukowska et al. Contemp Oncol (Pozn). 2015.

Abstract

Combined therapy of ovarian cancer has a long history. It has been applied for many years. The first drug which was commonly combined with other chemotherapeutics was cisplatin. It turned out to be effective given together with alkylating agents as well as with taxanes. Another drug which is often the basis of first-line therapy is doxorubicin. The use of traditional chemotherapy is often limited due to side effects. This is why new drugs, targeted specifically at cancer cells (e.g. monoclonal antibodies or epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors), offer a welcome addition when used in combination with conventional anticancer agents. Drugs applied in combination should be synergistic or at least additive. To evaluate the type of interaction between drugs in a plausible sequence, isobolographic analysis is used. This method allows one to assess whether the two agents could make an efficient combination, which might improve the therapy of ovarian cancer.

Keywords: combined therapy; isobolographic analysis; ovarian cancer; synergism.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Relations between drugs on isobologram
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Chou TC. Theoretical basis, experimental design, and computerized simulation of synergism and antagonism in drug combination studies. Pharmacol Rev. 2006;58:621–81. - PubMed
    1. Tallarida RJ. Interactions between drugs and occupied receptors. Pharmacol Ther. 2007;113:197–209. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Loewe S. Die quantitativen probleme der pharmakologie. Ergebn Physiol. 1928;27:47–87.
    1. Gessner PK. Isobolografic analysis of interactions: an update on applications and utility. Toxicology. 1995;105:161–79. - PubMed
    1. McGuire WP. Current status of taxane and platinum-based chemotherapy in ovarian cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2003;21:133–5. - PubMed