Summary
Epirubicin has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Ovarian Cancer would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Ovarian Cancer. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Epirubicin to Ovarian Cancer: 1 is currently recruiting; 4 have completed; 3 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 3 (NCT00311636). It plans or enrolled 280 participants. Registration activity spans 1998 to 2019. The literature layer holds 13 publications for this pair: 1 Cochrane review, 1 meta-analysis, 3 systematic reviews, 3 randomised controlled trial publications and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 2000 to 2020. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Ovarian Cancer ranks 50 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: No spontaneous remission; 5-year survival Stage I: 90%; Stage III/IV: 25-30%; most patients (75%) present at Stage III-IV.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 74.5 (trials 24.5, literature 30.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 8 total: 1 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 4 completed, 3 other |
| Linked publications | 13 (5 clinical trial publications, 3 systematic reviews, 3 randomised controlled trial publications, 1 Cochrane review, 1 meta-analysis) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | Open Targets, ChEMBL |
| Linked via biomarker / target | AKT1 |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT00311636 | Triptorelin in Preventing Early Menopause in Premenopausal Women Who Are Receiving Chemotherapy for Stage I, Stage II, or Stage III Breast Cancer That Has Been Removed By Surgery 2003 | completed | Phase 3 | 280 |
| NCT00004934 | Paclitaxel and Carboplatin With or Without Epirubicin in Treating Patients With Stage IIB, Stage III, or Stage IV Invasive Ovarian Epithelial, Fallopian Tube, or Peritoneal Cancer 1999 | completed | Phase 3 | — |
| NCT02532400 | Neoadjuvant Aromatase Inhibitor(AI) With Ovarian Suppression Versus Chemotherapy in Premenopausal Breast Cancer Patients 2016 | terminated | Phase 3 | 21 |
| NCT00025441 | Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Children With Metastatic Rhabdomyosarcoma or Other Malignant Mesenchymal Tumors 1998 | completed | Phase 2 | — |
| NCT03025477 | Two Therapeutic Strategies in First-line in Patients With Epithelial Advanced Ovarian Cancer 2016 | recruiting | Phase 2 | 84 |
| NCT00003852 | Combination Chemotherapy Plus Peripheral Stem Cell Transplantation in Treating Patients With Germ Cell Tumors 1998 | terminated | Phase 2 | 45 |
| NCT00722293 | A Phase I, Open-label, Study of Pazopanib in Combination With Epirubicin or Doxorubicin for Advanced Solid Tumors 2008 | completed | Phase 1 | 111 |
| NCT04474951 | Food Supplements Based on Nettle and Peppermint to Control Signs and Symptoms Induced by Cancer Therapies 2019 | status unknown | Not applicable | 60 |
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication Association of Germline Variant Status With Therapy Response in High-risk Early-Stage Breast Cancer: A Secondary Analysis of the GeparOcto Randomized Clinical TrialPohl-Rescigno E, Hauke J, Loibl S et al. · JAMA oncology · 2020 · PMID 32163106
- Systematic review Radiogenic angiosarcoma of the breast: case report and systematic review of the literatureDogan A, Kern P, Schultheis B et al. · BMC cancer · 2018 · PMID 29690864
- Cochrane review Toxicities of different first-line chemotherapy regimens in the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer: A network meta-analysisQu CP, Sun GX, Yang SQ et al. · Medicine · 2017 · PMID 28079805
- Meta-analysis A network meta-analysis of eight chemotherapy regimens for treatment of advanced ovarian cancerJiang XP, Rui XH, Guo CX et al. · Oncotarget · 2017 · PMID 27835912
- Clinical trial publication Epirubicin, Cisplatin, and Capecitabine for Primary Platinum-Resistant or Platinum-Refractory Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Results of a Retrospective, Single-Institution StudySayal K, Gounaris I, Basu B et al. · International journal of gynecological cancer : official journal of the International Gynecological Cancer Society · 2015 · PMID 25962114
- Clinical trial publication First-line treatment of advanced ovarian cancer with paclitaxel/carboplatin with or without epirubicin (TEC versus TC)--a gynecologic cancer intergroup study of the NSGO, EORTC GCG and NCIC CTGLindemann K, Christensen RD, Vergote I et al. · Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology · 2012 · PMID 22539562
- Clinical trial publication [Gemcitabine based combination chemotherapy, a new salvage regimen for recurrent platinum resistant epithelial ovarian cancer]Chu P, Lu CH, Sheng XG et al. · Zhonghua fu chan ke za zhi · 2010 · PMID 21211276
- Clinical trial publication Multicenter phase 2 study of combined gemcitabine and epirubicin as second-line treatment for patients with advanced ovarian cancerMurgia V, Sorio R, Griso C et al. · International journal of gynecological cancer : official journal of the International Gynecological Cancer Society · 2010 · PMID 20683401
- Systematic review Cardiotoxicity of anthracycline agents for the treatment of cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trialsSmith LA, Cornelius VR, Plummer CJ et al. · BMC cancer · 2010 · PMID 20587042
- Randomized controlled trial A phase II randomised clinical trial comparing cisplatin, paclitaxel and ifosfamide with cisplatin, paclitaxel and epirubicin in newly diagnosed advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: long-term survival analysisFruscio R, Colombo N, Lissoni AA et al. · British journal of cancer · 2008 · PMID 18253120
- Randomized controlled trial Intensified dose of cyclophosphamide with G-CSF support versus standard dose combined with platinum in first-line treatment of advanced ovarian cancer a randomised study from the GINECO groupRay-Coquard I, Paraiso D, Guastalla JP et al. · British journal of cancer · 2007 · PMID 17923867
- Randomized controlled trial Addition of epirubicin as a third drug to carboplatin-paclitaxel in first-line treatment of advanced ovarian cancer: a prospectively randomized gynecologic cancer intergroup trial by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynaekologische Onkologie Ovarian Cancer Study Group and the Groupe d'Investigateurs Nationaux pour l'Etude des Cancers Ovariensdu Bois A, Weber B, Rochon J et al. · Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2006 · PMID 16505432
- Systematic review [Anthracyclines in therapy of ovarian carcinoma: a systematic review of primary and 2nd-line therapy after platinum]du Bois A, Lück HJ, Pfisterer J et al. · Zentralblatt fur Gynakologie · 2000 · PMID 10857212
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL, in this case via the biomarker or target AKT1. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Epirubicin approved for Ovarian Cancer?
Epirubicin has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Ovarian Cancer would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Ovarian Cancer. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Epirubicin in clinical trials for Ovarian Cancer?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Epirubicin to Ovarian Cancer: 1 is currently recruiting; 4 have completed; 3 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 3 (NCT00311636). It plans or enrolled 280 participants. Registration activity spans 1998 to 2019.
What does the evidence show for Epirubicin in Ovarian Cancer?
Epirubicin has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Ovarian Cancer. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL, in this case via the biomarker or target AKT1. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-06. Page built 2026-10-07.