title: Radio-chemotherapeutic treatment of advanced ovarian cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The role of irradiation seems to be not very important in the post-operative treatment of cancer of the ovaries compared to chemotherapy although it has proved to be highly effective.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a retrospective study 37 patients with advanced cancer of the ovaries Stages IIIb and IIIc (FIGO) undergoing post-operative consecutive radio-chemotherapy consisting of two series of whole abdominal radiation (WAR) applied in sandwich technique with 6 courses of cisplatin-epirubicin-cyclophosphamide (PEC) were evaluated. For the effectiveness of WAR and PEC-chemotherapy changes of CA 125 serum levels were noted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both WAR and PEC-chemotherapy proved to be effective in 50.5% of the patients, either WAR and PEC-chemotherapy were effective in 16.2% neither one affected the course of disease in 8.1%. Statistical analysis shows a good correlation between the effectiveness of WAR and survival but no such correlation as to the effectiveness of PEC-chemotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The role of irradiation in the treatment of ovarian cancer is underestimated. The addition of WAR at the beginning of the post-operative treatment can prolong the survival time in advanced stages of ovarian cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecologic Oncology and Radiotherapy, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Münstedt
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vahrson
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018394:CA-125 Antigen / Q000097:blood; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015251:Epirubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018394:CA-125 Antigen; D015251:Epirubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D002945:Cisplatin