Systemic Therapy for Gynecologic Malignancies

Abstract This chapter will review the use of chemotherapy in all gynecological cancers. Chemotherapy is a part of the multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of gynecologic malignancies. In recent years, traditional chemotherapy has been augmented with the growing knowledge of tumor genomics. The identification of molecular pathways, cell signaling, and tumorigenesis has the potential to revolutionize care as we move toward “personalized medicine.” Chemotherapy has evolved from single-agent therapy with alkylating agents and antimetabolites in the 1950s to the use of contemporary combination chemotherapy regimens that include the taxanes, platinums, anthracyclines, and other drugs.