Cancer de l’ovaire à un stade avancé : la place des curages ganglionnaires

The standard management for advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer is optimum cytoreductive surgery followed by aggressive cytotoxic chemotherapy. However retroperitoneal remains controversial. The multiple directions of the lymph drainage pathway in ovarian cancer have been recognized. The incidence and pattern of lymph node involvement depends on the extent of disease progression and the histological type. Thus, it is difficult to specify a single node as the sentinel node. In this chapter, we review and discuss the actual benefits of lymph node dissection in patients with ovarian cancer, analysing previously reported and ongoing trials. A recent large randomized trial in patients with advanced ovarian cancer revealed that systemic lymphadenectomy had no impact on survival compared with removing only macroscopic lymph nodes but improves progression-free survival significantly. Further studies are needed to balance risks and benefits of systematic lymphadenectomy in advanced-stage disease.     

What is the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the management of ovarian cancer?

Aggressive cytoreductive surgery followed by aggressive chemotherapy is the standard of care for advanced-stage ovarian cancer patients, among whom the greatest survival benefit is seen in those with no gross disease left after the initial surgical cytoreduction. Since this represents only 23% of stage III patients and 8% of stage IV patients, alternative strategies for patients who do not appear to be surgically cytoreducible to no macroscopic residual disease need to be identified. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which may offer a variety of benefits in this population, is one such strategy that is being evaluated in prospective randomized trials. This article reviews the current status of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for the management of women with advanced-stage ovarian cancer.     

Treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer]

Significant prolongation of survival time among the patients with advanced ovarian cancer has been brought under the development of surgery and chemotherapy, but even those with clinical remission shows sometimes recurrence. For the recurrent ovarian cancer patients at present there are no definite strategy to treat the recurrent cases. Under these circumstance, we have reviewed the current treatment of cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy for the recurrent cases. 1) surgical treatment Generally, in the cases of recurrent ovarian cancer, cytoreductive surgery is required to minimize the residual tumour in the abdomen. But sometimes we can find the distant metastasis including liver, lung, and lymph node. This means that surgery is not sufficient for control of recurrent tumor. Further adjuvant chemotherapy will be required to control metastatic tumors. 2) chemotherapy After the detail assessment of the initial treatment of cases, at first we should think about retreatment with CDDP-based regimen and secondly about dose-intensification of CDDP or CBDCA for the CDDP-resistant cases. And as combination regimens, topoisomerase inhibitors, etoposide or CPT-11 are also preferable to use, alkylating agents such as ifosfamide, 5-fluorouracil, and some current trials with new drug, taxol are effective for recurrent cases. In conclusion, further active chemotherapy using platinum compounds, topoisomerase inhibitors, taxol will be achieved for the control of the recurrent cases of ovarian cancer.     

上皮性卵巢癌初次肿瘤细胞减灭术后复发情况及影响因素分析

目的:研究上皮性卵巢癌初次肿瘤细胞减灭术后复发情况以及影响因素分析,旨在为降低上皮性卵巢癌初次肿瘤细胞减灭术后复发提高患者术后生存质量提供有效的理论依据。方法:采用回顾性方法分析我院在2008年1月至2012年12月期间进行肿瘤细胞减灭术治疗的186例上皮性卵巢癌患者的临床资料,术后根据患者复发情况将患者分成复发组与未复发组。观察两组患者年龄、组织学类型、化疗方式、新辅助化疗、临床分期、组织分级、残余病灶、腹水、术前HE4、术后2月CA125、淋巴结切除之间的差异,同时分析影响上皮性卵巢癌初次肿瘤细胞减灭术后复发的独立危险因素。结果:随访5年,复发患者有78例,复发率为41.94%,未复发患者108例;复发组与未复发组患者在年龄、组织学类型、化疗方式、新辅助化疗等因素中比较无差异（P＞0.05）,在临床分期、组织分级、残余病灶、腹水、术前HE4、术后2月CA125、淋巴结切除中存在明显差异（P＜0.05）;经Logistic回顾分析证明,临床分期、残余病灶、腹水、术前HE4、淋巴结切除是临床上皮性卵巢癌患者初次肿瘤细胞减灭术后复发的独立危险因素［OR=9.786（3.484~27.493）、OR=8.199（4.431 ~15.172）、OR=9.143（3.975~21.031）、OR=9.337（4.593~18.983）、OR=11.917（6.440~22.053）］。结论:上皮性卵巢癌患者经初次肿瘤细胞减灭术治疗后,复发率为41.94%左右,而影响患者术后复发的独立危险因素为临床分期、残余病灶、腹水、术前HE4、淋巴结切除等,临床上可针对这些因素进行干预降低临床术后复发率,提高患者生活质量。     

Surgical cytoreduction in ovarian cancer

The majority of ovarian cancer patients present with advanced-stage disease, for which the goal of surgery is not only to document the extent of disease but also to perform surgical cytoreduction or tumor debulking. Cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer is generally performed at the time of diagnosis, when it is referred to as primary cytoreduction. It is also performed during primary chemotherapy (interval cytoreduction) and after disease recurrence (secondary cytoreduction). Over the past 3 decades, numerous retrospective analyses have established the role of primary cytoreduction in the management of advanced-stage ovarian cancer. However, recent studies have reported that certain patients benefit from a neoadjuvant chemotherapeutic approach, in which chemotherapy is given to those with presumed advanced ovarian cancer prior to cytoreductive surgery. Although several theoretical advantages of this approach over primary cytoreduction have been reported, significant concerns remain. The role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is being investigated in a randomized study currently being conducted by the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and the National Cancer Institute of Canada. The benefit of interval cytoreduction was investigated in two randomized prospective trials conducted by the EORTC and the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG). Final results were somewhat conflicting, but both studies supported an extensive attempt at surgical cytoreduction during primary therapy. In the management of recurrent disease, the majority of retrospective studies demonstrate a benefit to secondary cytoreduction. The GOG is currently attempting to better define the role of secondary cytoreduction in a prospective, randomized trial.     

93例复发性卵巢癌疗效分析

目的 预测卵巢癌易复发因素,分析复发性卵巢癌（ROC）患者的疗效与预后。方法 回顾性分析93例ROC患者的临床资料。采用单变量分析ROC患者无瘤生存期（DFI）影响因素。评估不同治疗方法对ROC患者无进展生存期（PFS）和复发后总生存时间（OS）的影响。结果 初次治疗后DFI单变量分析显示：肿瘤的组织分化程度、临床分期、初次术后残留肿瘤大小、初次手术后化疗疗程数与DFI有关（均P<0.05）。93例ROC患者中,手术组：44例患者行二次肿瘤细胞减灭术(SCS),并联合化疗和（或）靶向治疗;非手术组：49例患者行单纯化疗和（或）靶向治疗。手术组PFS和复发后OS均较非手术组有所延长;手术组中：CA125≤150 U/L的患者OS和PFS较CA125>150 U/L的患者均有所延长（均P<0.05）;术前影像学检查提示复发肿瘤个数≤3的患者术后OS和PFS较复发肿瘤个数>3的患者均有所延长（P<0.05）。结论 肿瘤病理分化程度越高、临床分期越早、初次术后残余病灶越小以及术后化疗疗程越规范足量的卵巢癌患者DFI越长、复发越晚。卵巢癌复发时CA125≤150 U/L、影像学检查复发肿瘤个数≤3的患者可能会从SCS术中获益。     

Cytoreductive surgery for gynecologic malignancies--new standards of care

Studies on cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian and primary peritoneal cancer have consistently shown a strong correlation between cytoreduction and survival, with the best survival observed in patients who have no visible residual disease after successful cytoreductive surgery. Recent data that intraperitoneal chemotherapy further improves survival after optimal cytoreduction adds to the potential benefit of such surgery. More recently, significant survival benefit from optimal cytoreduction has also been shown for patients with recurrent disease and for women with advanced endometrial carcinoma. The selection criteria for patients and critical aspects of the operative technique and timing of cytoreductive surgery are discussed.     

Role of aggressive surgical cytoreduction in advanced ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the eighth most frequent cancer in women and is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy worldwide. The majority of ovarian cancer patients are newly diagnosed presenting with advanced-stage disease. Primary cytoreductive surgery and adjuvant taxane- and platinum-based combination chemotherapy are the standard treatment for advanced ovarian cancer. A number of studies have consistently shown that successful cytoreductive surgery and the resultant minimal residual disease are significantly associated with survival in patients with this disease. Much has been written and even more debated regarding the competing perspectives of biology of ovarian cancer versus the value of aggressive surgical resection. This review will focus on the current evidences and outcomes supporting the positive impact of aggressive surgical effort on survival in the primary management of ovarian cancer.     

Second-line treatment of ovarian cancer

Patients with epithelial ovarian cancer are often diagnosed with advanced-stage disease. Although clinical complete remissions are obtained in the majority of patients through a combination of cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy, relapse is common. A number of agents with diverse biologic mechanisms have been identified with activity in the setting of recurrent disease. Strategies for management of patients with recurrent disease, including classification, treatment goals, and therapeutic options will be reviewed.     

Primary cytoreductive surgery with rectosigmoid colon resection for patients with advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma

BACKGROUND: The impact of radical bowel resection with multiple organ resection on the survival if patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma has not been well defined. The authors investigated whether primary cytoreductive surgery including rectosigmoid colon resection would affect the recurrence free interval and survival of these patients. METHODS: Between April 1990 and April 1997, 66 previously untreated Stage IIIC-IV ovarian carcinoma patients with macroscopic involvement of the rectosigmoid colon were enrolled. All patients underwent cytoreductive surgery with rectosigmoid colon resection to remove residual tumor less than 2 cm in greatest dimension and received 6 cycles of cisplatin-based postoperative chemotherapy. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 26 months (range, 7-104 months). In multivariate analysis, residual disease and depth of tumor infiltration of the bowel wall were independently associated with overall survival and recurrence free interval. Disease stage was independently associated only with overall survival. Residual tumor was the most strongly predictive factor for recurrence or death. The 2-year estimated survival rates according to the amount of residual tumor were 100% for 24 patients with no macroscopic residual disease and 77.3% for 28 patients with residual disease less than 1 cm. None of the 14 patients with residual disease larger than 1 cm were alive 2-years after operation. Overall, 48 patients (72.7%) developed disease recurrence: 43 (65.1%) in the abdomen, 19 (29.8%) in the liver, and 3 (4.5%) in the pelvis. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings suggest that cytoreductive surgery with rectosigmoid colon resection should be considered for ovarian carcinoma patients with bulky pelvic disease to help ensure that they are left with no residual disease after debulking surgery.     

Epithelial ovarian cancer

Opinion statement Epithelial ovarian cancer is the most lethal of all gynecologic malignancies. Most women have advanced stage disease. Access to appropriate initial surgical management by a gynecologic oncologist is important because treatment and survival are affected by appropriate surgical staging and debulking of tumor. After debulking/ staging surgery, chemotherapy with platinum-taxane-based regimens is appropriate for most patients. Patients with early stage, low-risk tumors may be cured with surgery alone. Interval cytoreductive surgery may be appropriate for patients who are initially suboptimally cytoreduced and are stable or responding to chemotherapy. The role of second-look surgery remains to be defined. Patients with recurrent or relapsed ovarian cancer are incurable. There are several chemotherapy agents that can achieve disease responses, which may be associated with palliation of tumor-related symptoms. Participation in clinical trials is encouraged for all patients. Novel approaches to managing minimal residual disease are being tested in hopes of decreasing the number of patients who relapse after achieving complete clinical remission.     

提高复发性卵巢上皮癌手术切除率的探讨

背景与目的:复发性卵巢上皮癌能否手术切除对预后影响较大,提高复发性卵巢上皮癌的手术切除率有助于改善其预后。本研究旨在探讨如何提高复发性卵巢上皮癌的手术切除率。方法:回顾性分析1997年3月1日至2003年3月31日期间因复发性卵巢上皮癌在我院行第二次细胞减灭术的54例病例的临床资料。其中病灶部位局限于盆腔19例,超出盆腔35例。病灶数目为1个者16例,≥2个者38例。无腹水38例,有腹水16例。接受术前化疗20例,有效12例,无效8例。以 Logistic多因素回归,分析年龄、复发间隔时间、复发病灶部位、数目、有无腹水及复发术前化疗对复发术后残留灶的影响。结果:肿瘤的满意切除率为81.5％(44/54),其中无残留灶者占53.7％(29/54),残留灶≤2 cm者占27.8％(15/54)。Logistic分析显示,病灶部位及有无腹水是影响复发术后残留灶的显著性因素(P<0.05);复发术前化疗有效和无效患者的满意切除率分别为100％(12/12)和37.5％(3/8),卡方检验显示两者有非常显著性差异(P<0.01)。本组40.7％(22/54)的患者手术较复杂,涉及胃肠道、泌尿道或肝脾。术后并发症发生率为16.6％(9/54),手术死亡率1.9％(1/54)。结论:根据患者瘤灶的边界、部位、有无腹水及术前化疗的疗效,对复发患者进行适当的选择,并作好充分的术前准备有助于提高复     

Role of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in the Management of Advanced Ovarian Cancer

Objective: To analyze efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced ovarian cancer. Materials andMethods: A total of 107 patients with advanced ovarian cancer undergoing cytoreductive surgery were dividedinto a neoadjuvant chemotherapy group (n=61) and a primary debulking group (n=46) and retrospectivelyanalyzed. Platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy was applied to both groups after cytoreductive surgery andeoverall and progression-free survival times were calculated. Results: No significant difference was observed induration of hospitalization (20.8±6.1 vs. 20.2±5.4 days, p>0.05). The operation time of neoadjuvant chemotherapygroup was shorter than the initial surgery group (3.1±0.7 vs. 3.4±0.8 h, p<0.05). There were no significantdifferences in median overall survival time between neoadjuvant chemotherapy group and surgery group (42 vs.55 months, p>0.05). Similarly, there was no difference in median progression-free survival between neoadjuvantchemotherapy group and surgery group (16 vs. 17 months, p>0.05). The surgical residual tumor size demonstratedno significant difference between initial surgery and neoadjuvant chemotherapy groups (p>0.05). Multivariateanalysis showed that more than 3 cycles of regimen with neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with moreresistance to chemotherapy compared with patients without receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (OR: 5.962,95%CI: 1.184-30.030, p<0.05). Conclusions:Neoadjuvant chemotherapy can shorten the operation time. However,it does not improve survival rates of advanced ovarian cancer patients.     

卵巢上皮癌淋巴结转移化疗的临床疗效分析

背景与目的：卵巢上皮癌属化疗中度敏感肿瘤,随着肿瘤细胞减灭术及铂类联合化疗的应用,其疗效有明显改善,但其淋巴结转移病灶对化疗的敏感性尚存异议。本研究通过回顾性分析临床资料,以评价卵巢上皮癌患者淋巴结转移对化疗的敏感性及其预后,方法：对1986年6月－2001年2月收治的50例卵巢上皮癌淋巴结转移患者进行回顾性分析,其中Ⅲ-Ⅳ期32例,治疗后复发18例,50例均有可评价疗交的淋巴结转移灶,其中38例有可评价的盆腔,腹腔肿瘤。46例接受术前化疗1－3疗程,肿瘤细胞减灭术、术后化疗。化疗疗效评价按实体瘤疗效评价标准。化疗包括术前、术后或复发患者的化疗,其中45例接受含铂类联合化疗,包括CP（环磷酰胺＋顺铂）,CAP（环磷酰胺＋顺铂＋阿霉素或表阿霉素）,TC（紫杉醇＋卡铂）,TP（紫杉醇＋顺铂）,吉西他滨＋卡铂及IEP（顺铂＋异环磷酰胺＋足叶乙甙）方案,1例用美法仑,1例用CF（环磷酰胺和5－氟尿嘧啶）方案,3例用IFO＋VP－16（异环磷酰胺＋足叶乙甙）,结果：全组淋巴结转移灶和肿瘤的有效率分别为68．0％、71．1％,Ⅲ-Ⅳ期初治患者淋巴结转移和盆腹腔肿瘤有效率分别为78．1％,76．6％,而复发组两者有效率均为50．0％,结论：卵巢上皮癌的淋巴结转移,无论Ⅲ-Ⅳ期还是复发患者,其对化疗敏感性与盆腹腔肿瘤相近,Ⅲ-Ⅳ期患者预后与减瘤术是否彻底,以及化疗的疗程数多少有明显的相关性。     

新辅助化疗对晚期上皮性卵巢癌患者预后的影响

目的 探讨新辅助化疗对Ⅲc～Ⅳ期上皮性卵巢癌患者预后的影响.方法 回顾性分析160例Ⅲc～Ⅳ期上皮性卵巢癌患者的临床病理资料,其中42例患者行新辅助化疗后再行肿瘤细胞减灭术(NAC组),118例患者先行初次肿瘤细胞减灭术(PCS)再行化疗(PCS组),比较两组患者的生存情况及与预后相关的因素.结果新辅助化疗的总有效率为69.1%.在手术时间、术中出血量和输血量等方面,NAC组与PCS组的差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).NAC组肿瘤细胞减灭术的满意率为88.1%,明显高于PCS组(71.2%,P＜0.05).NAC组和PCS组的复发率分别为43.2%和56.0%,差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).NAC组的中位无瘤生存时间和中位疾病无进展生存时间分别为7个月和8个月,低于PCS组的13个月和18个月(P＜0.05);但是NAC组和PCS组的中位总生存时间分别为34个月和43个月,差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).NAC组有37例患者行满意的肿瘤细胞减灭术(OCS),中位总生存时间为34个月;PCS组有84例患者行OCS,中位总生存时间为48个月,两组差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).结论 新辅助化疗可以提高Ⅲc-Ⅳ期上皮性卵巢癌患者肿瘤细胞减灭术的满意率,但未降低患者治疗后的复发率,也未延长患者的总生存时间.     

Contemporary considerations for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in primary ovarian cancer

Surgery is essential for the successful treatment of patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Recent reports have raised questions about the best time to perform surgery with regard to administering chemotherapy. A prospective randomized clinical trial comparing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (ie, platinum-based chemotherapy before attempting cytoreductive surgery) and conventional treatment (ie, aggressive cytoreductive surgery followed by platinum-based chemotherapy) demonstrated no difference in progression-free and overall survival between the two treatment groups. The trial demonstrated the need for optimum surgical cytoreduction regardless of whether surgery is performed before or after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. As the postoperative morbidity and mortality was lower in the neoadjuvant treatment group, neoadjuvant chemotherapy should be considered a standard treatment for women with advanced ovarian cancer, particularly those unlikely to be surgically cytoreduced to no residual tumor. This article reviews contemporary considerations in the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of primary ovarian cancer.     

Impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on the survival of patients with stage IIIc and IV epithelial ovarian cancer

OBJECTIVE: To compare the survival of patients with stage IIc or IV epithelial ovarian cancer treated either with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by cytoreductive surgery or primary cytoreductive surgery (PCS) followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: The clinical and pathological data of 160 patients with stage IIIc or IV epithelial ovarian cancer diagnosed pathologically between 1997 and 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Forty-two patients were treated with NAC followed by cytoreductive surgery (NAC group) and 118 patients with PCS followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (PCA group). RESULTS: The overall response rate of NAC group was 69.1%. No significant difference was observed between the NAC group and PCS group in operating time, intra-operative blood loss and units of blood-transfusion (P > 0.05). Optimal cytoreductive surgery was performed in 88.1% of NAC group versus in 71.2% of PCS group (P < 0.05). In those who had optimal cytoreductive surgery, the recurrent rate was 43.2% in NAC group versus 56.0% in PCS group without significant difference between two groups (P > 0.05). The disease-free survival and progression-free survival was 7 and 8 months in NAC group, which were significantly shorter than 13 and 18 months in PCS group (P < 0.05), however, the median overall survival (OS) was 34 months in NAC group versus 43 months in PCS group without significant difference (P > 0.05). In the patients with optimal cytoreductive surgery, it was 34 months in NAC group versus 48 months in PCS group without significant difference either between two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by cytoreductive surgery can improve the rate of optimal cytoreductive surgery for the patients with stage IIIc or IVepithelial ovarian cancer, but this regimen may neither reduce the recurrent rate nor prolong the survival when compared with the patients treated with primary cytoreductive surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy.     

Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced epithelial and recurrent ovarian carcinoma: a single center experience

Background: With standard treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), prognosis is very poor. The aim of this study is to show early and late results in patients who underwent cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Patients and methods: This was a retrospective single centre study. All patients with advanced and recurrent ovarian cancer treated with cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) or modified early postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (EPIC) were included in the study.

Results: In the period 1995–2014, 116 patients were treated, 55 with primary EOC and 61 with recurrent EOC. The mean age was 59 years (26–74). Statistically, median survival time was significantly longer in the group with primary advanced cancer of the ovary (41.3 months) compared to relapsed ovarian cancer (27.3 months). Survival for the primary EOC was 65 and 24% at 3 and 5 years, respectively. Survival for recurrent EOC was 33 and 16% at 3 and 5 years, respectively. Mortality was 1/116 (0.8%). Morbidity was 11/116 (9.5%). Peritoneal cancer index (PCI) was ≤20 in 59 (51%) patients and statistically, their average survival was significantly longer than in the group of 57 (49%) patients with PCI?>20 (p?=?0.014).

Conclusions: In advanced or recurrent EOC, a curative therapeutic approach was pursued that combined optimal cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy. PCI and timing of the intervention (primary or recurrent) were the strongest independent prognostic factors.     

Gene expression profiles predict early relapse in ovarian cancer after platinum-paclitaxel chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: Women with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer are routinely treated with platinum-paclitaxel chemotherapy following cytoreductive surgery, yet only approximately 20% achieve long-term disease-free survival. We hypothesized that differences in gene expression before treatment could distinguish patients with short versus long time to recurrence after administration of platinum-paclitaxel combination chemotherapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: To test this hypothesis, gene expression profiling of 79 primary surgically resected tumors from women with advanced-stage, high-grade epithelial ovarian cancer was done using cDNA microarrays containing 30,721 genes. Supervised learning algorithms were applied in an effort to develop a binary classifier that could discriminate women at risk for early (< or =21 months) versus late (>21 months) relapse after initial chemotherapy. RESULTS: A 14-gene predictive model was developed using a set of training samples (n = 51) and subsequently tested using an independent set of test samples (n = 28). This model correctly predicted the outcome of 24 of the 28 test samples (86% accuracy) with 95% positive predictive value for early relapse. CONCLUSIONS: Predictive markers for early recurrence can be identified for platinum-paclitaxel combination chemotherapy in primary ovarian carcinoma. The proposed 14-gene model requires further validation.     

The neoadjuvant approach in the treatment of patients with advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma

AimsOvarian cancer has a very poor prognosis, with 5-year survival rates of 5–20% for advanced-stage disease. This work was designed to verify whether the neoadjuvant approach had an effect on survival in patients with advanced-stage ovarian cancer.Materials and methodsPatients with stage III or IV disease who received neoadjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy (group 1) were compared with a group of conventionally treated patients (group 2).ResultsMost of the patients in group 1 (76%) had partial tumoral responses after chemotherapy. Patients from group 1 (n = 42) had a median survival that was not different from that in patients from group 2 (n = 348). Patients who received platinum-based chemotherapy with taxanes had the same survival of patients who received no taxanes.ConclusionsOur results showed similar responses and survival rates for patients with stage III or IV ovarian cancer treated with neoadjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy, when compared with patients who underwent primary suboptimal cytoreductive surgery. Our data therefore support the ongoing trials to determine the optimum timing of surgery for ovarian cancer.