If ovarian cancer comes back after initial treatment it is usually possible to have more chemotherapy. When deciding upon which chemotherapy drugs to use the doctors will look at what treatment has been used before and how long it has been since the last treatment. If, as in your situation, the chemotherapy has been successful and kept the cancer away for a long time, this is thought of as a good response. It shows that the cancer has been sensitive to these drugs.

Cancers that take more time before they re-grow to a size large enough to need treatment again, generally respond well to further chemotherapy. There is also a very good chance that the cancer will respond to similar treatment again.

A recent research trial called ICON 4, which was looking into the treatment of women with recurrent ovarian cancer, showed that the best treatment for women who have responded to a platinum based drug (either cisplatin or carboplatin) when they were first treated, is to have a combination including a platinum based drug again and Taxol. The combination chemotherapy gave a 10% advantage when compared to a platinum drug given on its own.

A second, smaller research trial also found that a combination of Taxol and a platinum drug improved survival for women with recurrent, platinum sensitive ovarian cancer.

Although it may seem a little odd to be treated with the same drugs again now that your cancer has come back, the evidence is that these drugs are likely to be effective.