title: Is the current concept of recurrent ovarian carcinoma as a chronic disease also applicable in platinum resistant patients?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The treatment of recurrent ovarian carcinoma (ROC) has become increasingly oriented according to the therapy principles of a chronic disease. We evaluated whether it is justifiable to also apply this concept to the treatment of platinum resistant patients with their known poor prognosis and short overall survival (OS).
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed the overall courses of 85 unselected ROC patients and defined the following groups: A, platinum resistant patients (n=39); subgroup A.1, those who received no or at maximum one line of palliative chemotherapy (n=15, 38.5%); subgroup A.2, those who received>or=two therapy lines (n=24, 61.5%); B, platinum sensitive patients, n=46.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Group A had significantly lower OS than group B (median: 16 vs. 25 months; p=0.019). Group A.1 had significantly worse outcome compared to group A.2 (median: 5 vs. 21.5 months; p<0.001). The comparison between study group A.2 and group B showed comparable survival rates (p=0.738). Considering only the patients who had completed treatment courses, the median number of therapy lines administered was higher in group A.2 than in group B (4 vs. 3; p=0.008).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is not only the known dichotomy between platinum sensitive and resistant ROC patients, but rather also within the platinum resistant subgroup itself. There is a considerably large subgroup of platinum resistant patients who will subsequently enter a phase where multiple treatment programs will be considered and administered. These patients have similar survival rates compared to those from the platinum sensitive patient group and the therapy principles of a chronic disease are applicable.
authors: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Basel (UHB), Spitalstrasse 21, 4031, Basel, Switzerland. ugueth@uhbs.ch
authors: Uwe
authors: U
authors: Güth
authors: Dorothy Jane
authors: DJ
authors: Huang
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Schötzau
authors: Edward
authors: E
authors: Wight
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D010984:Platinum / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D010984:Platinum