Survival and prognostic factors of women with advanced ovarian cancer and complete response after a carboplatin-paclitaxel chemotherapy.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the characteristics and determinants of 5-year survival in ovarian cancer patients with complete response after first line treatment who entered a randomised study comparing two different chemotherapeutic schedules.


METHODS
This analysis included 232 ovarian cancer patients with complete response after first line surgery and chemotherapy coming from a large randomised trial comparing the effect of different doses of paclitaxel combined with fixed doses of carboplatin.


RESULTS
The 5-year overall survival in patients was 57.3%. The difference in 5-year survival for age <52 years (65.1%), 53-62 (51.4%) and > or = 63 (51.2%) was statistically significant (P = 0.048). The 5-year overall survival rates were 64.6% for stage III and 57.9% for stage IV. Serous and clear cell histotypes had a worse 5-year overall survival (51.5% and 50.8% respectively), while the endometrioid and mucinous had 67.1% and 71.4%: these differences were statistically different (P = 0.04). Women with residual tumour of 1 cm or smaller after primary surgery had better 5-year survival rates: 71.2% for patients with residual tumour < or = 1 cm and 46.9% for residual tumour >1 cm: these differences were statistically significant (P < 0.006).


CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that in women with ovarian cancer and complete response after first line surgery and chemotherapy, age, histotype and residual tumour after surgery are determinants of 5-year overall survival.
Polverino
Gianpiero
G
Prima Clinica Ostetrico Ginecologica, Università di Milano, via Commenda 12, 20122 Milano, Italy.
Parazzini
Fabio
F
Stellato
Giovanna
G
Scarfone
Giovanna
G
Cipriani
Sonia
S
Bolis
Giorgio
G
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016190:Carboplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D016190:Carboplatin; D017239:Paclitaxel