Efficacy and safety of carboplatin plus paclitaxel in gynecological carcinosarcoma: a Brazilian retrospective study

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity profile of carboplatin and paclitaxel (CP) in women with gynecological carcinosarcoma. Methods: This is a single-center retrospective study that included 64 women with stage I–IV gynecological carcinosarcoma treated with CP between January 2012 and December 2017. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, toxicity, and survival outcomes, such as clinical benefit rate (CBR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Results: The median age was 65.2 years. Most patients were stage III–IV (73.5%) and had undergone surgery as initial treatment (95.3%). Optimal cytoreduction (R0) was associated with better median PFS (P = 0.011) and OS (P = 0.019) as compared to suboptimal cytoreduction (R1/R2). The CBR after first-line palliative CP was 36.7% (6.7% of complete response, 3.3% of partial response, and 26.7% of stable disease). For the general population, the median PFS was 11 months (95% confidence interval, CI: 8–50), and the median OS was 26 months (95% CI: 12-not reached, NR). The most common adverse event was anemia observed in 71.8% of patients. Conclusion: This study suggests that CP may be an effective and safe option with a more convenient schedule for treating gynecological carcinosarcoma.