title: Long-term survival in stage III and IV ovarian cancer.
abstract: A total of 104 unselected, previously untreated patients with invasive stage III or IV ovarian cancer were operated on between 1977 and 1984. Nine patients were lost in follow-up, three died from non-malignant disease. Thirteen of the 92 eligible patients (15%) were observed to survive 5 years or longer. In the 13 long-term survivors, 4 had stage IV disease, 7 positive peritoneal cytology, 3 bowel resection, and 12 residual disease less than 2 cm after primary surgery. Retroperitoneal lymph nodes were involved in 6/9 cases. The majority of 5-year survivors (69%) received cis-platin-containing combination chemotherapy. 5/7 long-term survivors had positive second-look. At 5 years, life-quality in 9/13 patients who were free of disease, was high. It can be concluded that only patients with optimally resected stage III or IV ovarian cancer have a realistic chance of long-term survival. It is expected that increasing radicality n surgery for ovarian cancer together with platinum-based chemotherapy regimens may improve long-term survival in the future. In addition, further studies of new chemotherapeutic approaches are needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Miami, School of Medicine, Florida.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Petru
authors.forename: B U
authors.initials: BU
authors.lastname: Sevin
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Averette
authors.forename: O R
authors.initials: OR
authors.lastname: Koechli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hilsenbeck
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate