Ovarian carcinoma continues to be the leading cause of death among gynecologic malignancies. Paclitaxel and platinum chemotherapy
is still the treatment of choice after primary debulking surgery. Salvage chemotherapy with several single agents has only
modest activity and does not prolong survival of patients with relapsed ovarian carcinoma. An intense search has been made
for novel approaches to treatment of ovarian cancer, and several new treatments, such as immunotherapy and gene therapy, show
promise. Newer combination chemotherapy regimens and molecularly targeted therapy need to be developed. High-dose chemotherapy
with autologous stem-cell transplantation appears to benefit selected groups of patients and is still investigational. Whole
abdominal radiotherapy for relapsed microscopic disease should be studied in prospective randomized trials. Women with advanced
ovarian carcinoma should continue to be encouraged to participate in welldesigned clinical trials.