In spite of the use of cisplatin, other powerful anti-cancer drugs, and the development of chemotherapy using multiple drugs, the survival rate of women with ovarian cancer in later stages (from IIC to IV) is still under 25 percent. Recurrent ovarian cancer is often resistant to drugs and radiation, even if the tumor is small, and no therapy is known to be curative in the majority of these cases. Hexamethylmelamine is an anti-cancer drug that has been used since 1964. Over 30 percent of patients with new ovarian cancer, and up to 20 percent of those previously treated, respond to this agent. However, its use in ovarian cancer is not standardized, as it has not been rigorously evaluated. Eight years of experience in treating 49 patients with recurrent or persistent ovarian cancer is described. The average patient age was 59 years old, and 40 had stage III to IV disease at diagnosis. Forty-six of the 49 patients had previously received cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Of 24 women with non-measurable tumors, seven were alive at 10 to 35 months after start of hexamethylmelamine, five without sign of disease. Of 25 the women with measurable tumors, three had complete and two had partial responses to treatment, a response rate of 20 percent. Patients who did not respond to cisplatin-based chemotherapy did not respond to hexamethylmelamine. Side effects were mild and included numbness or tingling on arms or legs, nausea, weakness, muscle aches, and herpes zoster infections. The results indicate that hexamethylmelamine is generally well tolerated and is active against ovarian cancer. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)