title: The Impact of the Duration of Adjuvant Chemotherapy on Survival in Patients with Epithelial Ovarian Cancer - A Retrospective Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to investigate the prognostic role of the duration of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancer (EOC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Within the present study we retrospectively evaluated the data of 165 consecutive patients with EOC treated with primary surgery followed by six completed cycles of platinum-taxan based intravenous adjuvant chemotherapy. Medians of total duration of chemotherapy were compared with clinical-pathological parameters. Patients were stratified into four risk groups according to the delay in days of total duration of chemotherapy, and univariate and multivariable survival analyses were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median duration of six completed cycles of chemotherapy comprised 113 days (IQR 107-124 days). Uni- and multivariable survival analyses revealed a delay of total duration of chemotherapy of at least 9 days to be associated with progression-free (PFS), cancer-specific (CSS) and overall survival (OS). Hazard ratios (HR), confidence intervals (95% CI) and p-values for PFS, CSS and OS due to delay of chemo-duration were 2.9 (1.6-5.4; p = 0.001), 2.9 (1.3-6.2; p = 0.008) and 2.6 (1.3-5.4; p = 0.008), respectively. Prolonged total chemo-duration was associated with the amount of postoperative residual disease (p = 0.001) and the patients' age (p = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study suggests a prolonged duration of adjuvant chemotherapy after primary surgery to adversely affect PFS, CSS and OS in patients with EOC. Yet larger studies are required to validate our results.
authors.affiliation: Department for Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology, Gynecologic Cancer Unit, Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Seebacher
authors.affiliation: Department for Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology, Gynecologic Cancer Unit, Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.|Karl Landsteiner Institute for General Gynecology and Experimental Gynecologic Oncology, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reinthaller
authors.affiliation: Department for Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology, Gynecologic Cancer Unit, Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koelbl
authors.affiliation: Department for Gynecology and Obstetrics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Concin
authors.affiliation: Department for Gynecology and Obstetrics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nehoda
authors.affiliation: Department for Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology, Gynecologic Cancer Unit, Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.|Karl Landsteiner Institute for General Gynecology and Experimental Gynecologic Oncology, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Polterauer
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; D000077216:Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000379:methods*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D000077143:Docetaxel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D043823:Taxoids / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel; D002945:Cisplatin