Chemotherapy response in low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma at a comprehensive cancer center: Readdressing the roles of platinum and cytotoxic therapies.

BACKGROUND: Data on platinum sensitivity of low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (LGSOC) in the upfront setting is lacking, and there is limited and contradictory information on chemotherapy responses in recurrent disease. METHODS: Patients with LGSOC seen at a comprehensive cancer center from January 1, 1998 to September 30, 2021 were identified from institutional databases. Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) or adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy and to second- to fifth-line regimens was retrospectively characterized by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1. Wilcoxon rank-sum and two-tailed Fisher exact tests were employed. RESULTS: Of 50 patients, 12 received platinum doublets for suboptimal residual disease and 11 as NACT. Of 12 patients with suboptimal residual disease, seven (58%) achieved objective responses (five partial responses [PRs] and two complete responses); of the 11 patients who underwent NACT, one (9%) achieved a PR (p = .027). The 15 remaining patients had stable disease on first-line platinum chemotherapy. Of 44 patients who recurred, 20 had RECIST-evaluable responses to second-line and 27 to third-line chemotherapy. Objective response rates to platinum-based chemotherapy were 22% (two of nine) in the second line and 10% (one of 10) in the third. In second and third lines, highest response rates were observed with nonplatinum chemotherapy with bevacizumab, at 100% (two of two) and 30% (three of 10), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Primary platinum-based chemotherapy has moderate activity in LGSOC and minimal activity in the recurrent setting, suggesting standard definitions of platinum sensitivity may not apply in LGSOC. In the second and third lines, nonplatinum chemotherapy/bevacizumab elicited the highest response rates.

Morbidity after secondary cytoreductive surgery with or without hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for ovarian cancer: An analysis of a randomized phase II trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess postoperative complications after secondary cytoreductive surgery (SCS) with or without hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), we conducted an exploratory analysis of patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer enrolled in a randomized phase II trial. METHODS: Complications occurring within 30 days of surgery were graded using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0; only hemoglobin and platelet levels were assessed. Patients were grouped by CTCAE grade ≥ 3 and < 3 complications. RESULTS: Among 83 eligible patients, 33 (40%) had grade ≥ 3 complications and 50 (60%) had grade < 3 complications; anemia and abdominal infections were the most common. There were no perioperative mortalities. Time to initiation of postoperative chemotherapy for patients with grade ≥ 3 and grade < 3 events was 34 days (range, 18-60) and 31 days (range, 21-43), respectively (P = .017). Median progression-free survival (PFS) did not significantly differ between patients with grade ≥ 3 and grade < 3 complications (11.2 months [95% CI: 9.3-14.4] vs 14.9 months [95% CI: 11.3-16.5], respectively; P = .186), nor did median overall survival (OS) (46.9 months [95% CI: 34-NE] vs 68.2 months [95% CI: 52.1-NE], respectively; P = .053). CONCLUSION: Postoperative complications following SCS with or without HIPEC were associated with slight delays in chemotherapy initiation but did not significantly impact oncologic outcomes.