Improved survival for stage IIIC ovarian cancer patients treated at the Norwegian Radium Hospital between 1984 and 2001

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment of FIGO Stage IIIC patients who were primarily treated completely or partially at the Norwegian Radium Hospital (NRH) during a 15-year period in order to discover possibilities for improvement of prognosis of advanced ovarian cancer. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A retrospective study based on record information from all patients with epithelial ovarian cancer Stage IIIC treated at NRH from 1985-2000, in total 776 patients. RESULTS: We found age, amount of residual tumour after surgery for primary treatment and type of chemotherapy to be the most significant prognostic factors for overall survival. During the last 5-year period primary surgery was increasingly centralised, and surgery was improved with lymph node staging and use of paclitaxel. Survival was significantly better during the last 5-year period and after macroscopic radical surgery. Also progression-free survival was better with no macroscopic tumour remaining. INTERPRETATION: Improved survival during the last 5-year period is partly attributed to improved surgery and partly to the addition of paclitaxel. We believe that further centralisation of primary surgery for advanced ovarian cancer can contribute to a better prognosis.