The ovarian cancer presentations at the 2000 ASCO meeting did not yield any 
major paradigm shifts in the treatment of women with epithelial ovarian cancer. 
Emphasis at this year's meeting focused on the potential incorporation of drugs 
such as topotecan, oxaliplatin, doxil, and gemcitabine into the initial 
treatment strategies of women with advanced ovarian cancer. These studies 
included the introduction of several active and tolerable regimens that are 
potentially worthy of direct comparison to the carboplatin and paclitaxel 
combination. In the woman with recurrent or persistent ovarian cancer there was 
a greater focus on phase III studies directly comparing various chemotherapy 
strategies in the treatment of women with recurrent disease. This included the 
comparisons of single-versus two-drug salvage regimens, alternate salvage 
schedules, and direct comparison of agents active in taxane- and 
platinum-resistant disease. Finally, several early studies of novel 
non-chemotherapeutic strategies were presented.