Introduction
Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is predominantly detected in advanced stages. Following cytoreductive surgery and platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy, approximately 75% of patients relapsed at around 18 months; furthermore, 25% of patients are resistant to primary chemotherapy and have a poor prognosis.1 The distinction between platinum-sensitive and platinum-resistant recurrence has been thoroughly explored; a platinum-free interval of 6 months or longer is now used to define ‘platinum-sensitive’ malignancies, while those with a platinum-free interval of less than 6 months are used to define ‘platinum-resistant’ cancers. A major therapeutic concern is identifying methods to prolong the platinum-free interval in clinics.
Currently, the maintenance treatment for EOC involves diverse mechanisms of action. It includes the use of single drugs and combinations of various agents. These agents comprise antivascular inhibitors, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, poly ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitors, immune checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal or bispecific antibodies, multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitors and others. However, although different treatment schemes have achieved good curative effects, patients need to take these drugs orally for a long period; furthermore, this strategy is associated with several side effects, including insomnia, bone marrow suppression, gastrointestinal adverse reactions, fatigue and other adverse reactions. Furthermore, these schemes are expensive and could influence a patient’s quality of life and treatment compliance. Considering the limitations of current maintenance treatments for EOC, researchers have been exploring alternative therapies. In recent years, arsenic-containing compounds have emerged as a promising option.2 Recall that EOC patients face challenges such as high recurrence rates and significant side effects from current treatments. In this context, Realgar-Indigo Naturalis Formula (RIF) has shown remarkable potential.
There are several arsenic-containing compounds, including arsenic trioxide (ATO) which is used intravenously, and oral arsenic formulations, such as RIF. These mainly contain arsenic disulfide (As2S3) and are derived from traditional Chinese herbal medicines. Arsenic agents and their compounds use different antitumour mechanisms. ATO is commonly used in China and is effective for the treatment of haematological malignancies and also for the treatment of solid tumours, including lymphoma, gastric cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer and osteosarcoma.3–8 Studies have also shown that arsenic can effectively inhibit the growth of various malignant tumours via multiple mechanisms, including the cell cycle, apoptosis, DNA damage repair, telomerase activity and antiangiogenesis.9–14 Tang et al found that the combination of ATO and olaparib activated the AMPK α pathway and suppressed the expression levels of stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1.15 Furthermore, arsenic has been shown to inhibit cell growth and increase apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells and exerts synergistic effects with cisplatin and paclitaxel treatment.16
Previously, we reported the basic and clinical application of ATO for the treatment of resistant uterine malignant tumours and EOC;17 18 preliminary analysis showed that ATO was an effective treatment for patients with endometrial cancer and EOC.19 20 We also reported an ATO-based sequential chemotherapy scheme for recurrent drug-resistant and refractory ovarian cancer which demonstrated key advantages with regard to survival.21 Over recent years, arsenic has attracted increasing levels of attention from gynaecologists because of its specific anti-tumour effects, reduced side effects, and low cost, especially the synergistic antitumour effects of arsenic and other drugs.
The results of a previous multicentre, non-inferiority, randomised, and controlled phase 3 clinical trial showed that RIF achieved good effects for the treatment of malignant tumours, including acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) and several solid tumours.3–6 The oral arsenic RIF regimen provides similar efficacy to intravenous ATO for APL in both adults and children and is highly efficient, cost-effective and convenient for outpatient chemotherapy; furthermore, RIF provides a good quality of life for patients.22 23
The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and side effects of RIF-containing oral arsenic in the maintenance treatment of EOC following standard treatment and to provide a new scheme with the characteristics of Chinese patent medicine for the maintenance treatment of patients with EOC.