The treatment of 48 patients affected by ovarian carcinoma at stages III and IV F.I.G.O.

ABSTRACT

The Authors analyzed the treatment of 28 patients in stage III (FIGO) and 20 patients in stage IV affected by epithelial ovarian cancer. In these cases, surgery was based on the criterion of cytoreduction and, where possible, maximum radicality. Within a month from surgery, all patients underwent a program of combined chemotherapy (VCR + 5 FU + CTX) envisaging successive cycles, every four weeks. Minimal side effects were generally observed. 13/28 (46.4%) responses were recorded in stage III and 4/14 (28.6%) in stage IV. The highest percentage of responses, 80%, was obtained in patients with a residual tumor less than 2 cm, all belonging to stage III. Stage III and stage IV patients with a residual tumor greater than 2 cm responded in 45% and 33% of the cases respectively. Patients who underwent explorative laparotomy showed negligible responses. There was a statistically significant difference survival between stage III and stage IV patients (p less than 0.001), among patients with a similar residual tumor greater than 2 cm, but in different stages (p less than 0.05), and among stage III patients who responded or not to chemotherapy (p less than 0.001).