Advanced epithelial ovarian cancer in the elderly: chemotherapy tolerance and outcome.
BACKGROUND
The prognostic significance of age in ovarian cancer has not been clarified. We investigated the characteristics of ovarian cancer presenting in ages > 70 years and assessed the prognostic significance of advanced age.


METHODS
Four hundred and fifty-three patients with stage IIC-IV ovarian cancer (age>70 years n=106 [23%]), treated postoperatively with platinum-based chemotherapy were retrospectively reviewed.


RESULTS
Median overall survival (OS) of patients 570 years old (52.3 months, 95% CI: 43.2-61.3) was longer than that of older patients (38.8 months, 95% CI: 29.9-47.7) (p =0.005), but this difference was not significant in a multivariate analysis (p=0.978). Age >70 years was correlated with worse performance status (PS) (p=0.019), higher tumor grade (p=0.033), residual disease >2 cm (p=0.006) and less frequent paclitaxel administration (p<0.001). Toxicity from chemotherapy was similar between the two age groups, but the relative dose intensity of paclitaxel was lower among elderly patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The worse outcome of ovarian cancer in elderly patients may be attributed to other associated adverse prognostic factors, but advanced age was not an independent prognostic factor.
Efstathiou
Eleni
E
Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Athens University School of Medicine, Athens, Greece.
Dimopoulos
Meletios A
MA
Bozas
George
G
Kastritis
Efstathios
E
Moulopoulos
Lia A
LA
Rodolakis
Alexandros
A
Vlahos
George
G
Gika
Dimitra
D
Papadimitriou
Christos
C
Bamias
Aristotelis
A
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000740:Anemia / Q000139:chemically induced; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000139:chemically induced; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D017239:Paclitaxel