Syngeneic Mouse Model of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Effects of Nanoparticulate Paclitaxel, Nanotax®

In 2006, it has been estimated that 20,180 women in the United States will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and 15,310 women will die from the disease (1). Although advances have occurred in treatment strategies, success remains limited (1). The median overall survival for patients with advanced ovarian cancer and receiving the current standards of treatment (surgery and paclitaxel/platinum chemotherapy) is 36–39 months (2). The realities of the overall statistics are sobering. Future success in the treatment of women with ovarian cancer, including those diagnosed with late stage disease, will be dependent on the development of novel approaches to treatment. Until recently, limited progress has been made in the development of new treatments largely because of a lack of laboratory animal model systems of ovarian cancer.