title: Pre-chemotherapy hemoglobin levels and survival in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer who received a first-line taxane/platinum-based regimen: results of a multicenter retrospective Italian study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this retrospective multicenter study was to assess whether the pre-chemotherapy hemoglobin levels have any impact on the clinical outcome of patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer who received a first-line taxane/platinum-based regimen.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted on 315 patients who underwent initial surgery followed by taxane/platinum-based chemotherapy for FIGO stage IIc-IV epithelial ovarian cancer. All the patients had ECOG performance status 0-1 at presentation. The median follow-up of survivors was 36 months (range, 6-120 months).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 25%, 50%, and 75% quantiles of hemoglobin levels before starting first-line chemotherapy were 10.2, 11.4, and 12.3 g/dl, respectively. Residual disease after initial surgery (>1 cm versus </= 1 cm, P = 0.0013) was the only independent prognostic variable for overall survival. Conversely, hemoglobin levels (<10.2 g/dl versus 10.2-11.4 g/dl versus 11.5-12.3 g/dl versus >12.3 g/dl) were inversely related to overall survival at univariate (P = 0.03) but not at multivariate analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This investigation showed that hemoglobin levels before starting first-line taxane/platinum-based chemotherapy are not an independent prognostic factor for overall survival in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Procreative Medicine, Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Pisa, Via Roma 56, Pisa, 56127, Italy. a.gadducci@obgyn.med.unipi.it
authors.forename: Angiolo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gadducci
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sartori
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Landoni
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zola
authors.forename: Tiziano
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maggino
authors.forename: Nicoletta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fanucchi
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chiudinelli
authors.forename: Mariateresa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lapresa
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maria Ferrero
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016190:Carboplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000077143:Docetaxel; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007069:Ifosfamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D043823:Taxoids / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel; D016190:Carboplatin; D017239:Paclitaxel; D002945:Cisplatin; D007069:Ifosfamide