Abstract:
Introduction: Ovarian cancer is a leading cause of cancer death for Kenyan women. Most
women are diagnosed with an advanced stage of disease. The current North American standard of care includes surgery followed by carboplatin and paclitaxel. Neither drug is available
for Kenyan women. We performed a literature search investigating chemotherapy in lowresource countries with the aim to write an evidence-based chemotherapy protocol for women
diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Eldoret, Kenya, at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Methods: We systematically searched PubMed and EMBASE for articles describing
chemotherapy treatment outcomes of ovarian epithelial cancer in low-resource settings.
After data analysis, a secondary review was undertaken on randomized controlled trials
(RCTs) aligning with chemotherapy availability in Kenya.
Results: We identified 1184 articles. Fourteen met our criteria: ovarian epithelial cancer,
low resource, chemotherapy use, and survival or response data. No publications were RCTs
or had a cohort larger than 100 patients. There was no consistency in drug choice between
studies. After this search, we reviewed commonly quoted and relevant RCTs and metaanalyses conducted on ovarian cancer since the 1980s. Although RCTs in the developed
world suggest carboplatin and taxol provide optimal survival benefit, these drugs are unavailable in Kenya. Cyclophosphamide and cisplatin provide the next most optimal survival
benefit, with acceptable and manageable toxicity. Because these drugs are more available
and affordable in Kenya, we have developed a protocol recommending their use, which has
been accepted by the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Conclusions: Currently, there is a paucity of published RCTs that may guide treatment in
low-resource settings. One considerable barrier to establishing and evaluating chemotherapy protocols in low-resource settings may be the cost of chemotherapy drugs. There needs
to be an international movement to make cancer chemotherapeutics available at lower prices
in low-resource settings.
