Weekly low-dose paclitaxel and carboplatin therapy in gynecological cancer patients with venous thrombosis

Background: To evaluate the safety and toxicity of weekly low-dose paclitaxel plus carboplatin therapy in gynecological cancer patients with venous thrombosis (VT). Materials and Methods: Ovarian or endometrial cancer patients with VT who were scheduled to receive neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy were eligible. Each 21-day cycle of treatment consisted of carboplatin (AUC 2.0) and paclitaxel (80 mg/m²) on days 1, 8 and 15. At the end of chemotherapy, each patient's VT was checked by ultrasonography. Results: Twenty-five gynecological cancer patients who received warfarin therapy with a target international normalized ratio (INR) of 1.5-2.5 were enrolled in this study. Neutropenia and peripheral neuropathy (grades 3 or 4) occurred in 26% and 4% of the patients, respectively. Chemotherapy did not cause any changes of the INR in any patient. After chemotherapy, the VT showed resolution in 19 patients (76%) and no patient developed fresh thrombosis. Conclusion: Weekly low-dose paclitaxel plus carboplatin therapy is a reasonable treatment option for gynecological cancer patients with VT.