A 47-year-old woman with recurrent metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix progresses on single-agent cisplatin. Which combination was shown in a randomised trial to improve response rate and progression-free survival over cisplatin alone in this setting?
- A Cisplatin plus gemcitabine
- B Cisplatin plus topotecan ✓
- C Carboplatin plus docetaxel
- D Ifosfamide plus bleomycin
Correct answer: B. Cisplatin plus topotecan
Explanation
The GOG 179 randomised trial demonstrated that cisplatin plus topotecan improved overall response rate, progression-free survival and overall survival compared with cisplatin alone in recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer, establishing doublet therapy over platinum monotherapy. Platinum plus paclitaxel subsequently became the preferred backbone, later combined with bevacizumab per GOG 240. Gemcitabine combinations and ifosfamide-bleomycin have never shown superiority in randomised comparison against platinum-based doublets.
Reference: DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg's Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology, 12th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.