title: Survival of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer and the effect of lymphadenectomy in those with stage 3 disease.
abstract: This study looks at the 10-year survival data in patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma at the Mercy Hospital for Women, Melbourne. An ovarian cancer database was established at the hospital in 1980, since then 253 patients have been diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer. The 5-year survival rates for Stages 1 to 4 are 75%, 55%, 24% and 21% respectively. The 10-year survival rates are 65%, 55%, 16% and 15% respectively. One hundred and thirty patients have been diagnosed with Stage 3 disease. The Gynaecologic Oncology Department at the Mercy Hospital for Women was formalized in 1987. Patients treated for ovarian cancer by the unit since 1987 had a significantly better survival (median 47 months) than patients treated prior to 1987 (median 17 months), p = 0.03. There is much debate as to whether lymphadenectomy in patients with ovarian cancer is of therapeutic value. In this study the patients with Stage 3 disease and who had a lymphadenectomy performed had a better 5-year survival rate of 38% compared to 22% in the group who did not have a lymphadenectomy (p < 0.05). The Stage 3 patients who had negative retroperitoneal nodes had a 10-year survival rate of 51%. There was no difference in survival rate between patients with endometrioid and serous papillary carcinomas.
authors.affiliation: Mercy Hospital for Women, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Coulter
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis