October 2002

Surgery To Remove Maximum Amount of Tumor More Important than Small Dosing Changes in Chemotherapy for Survival among Advanced Ovarian Cancer Patients

An analysis of research studies from 1989 through 1998 found that initial surgery to remove the maximum amount of tumor for advanced ovarian cancer has a greater impact on survival than small dosing changes in platinum-based chemotherapy treatments. Fifty-three studies evaluating 6,885 patients were reviewed by Johns Hopkins researchers who found better survival in patients whose cancer was surgically removed leaving as little residual disease as possible. Surgery by specialized gynecologic surgeons at hospitals with greater experience at removing the maximum amount of tumor offered longer survival to patients. Small changes in doses of platinum-based chemotherapy did not have a statistically significant impact on patient survival. "When every patient gets the same type of platinum-based chemotherapy, small changes in dosing is not as important as having the maximum amount of tumor removed during surgery," says Robert Bristow, M.D., lead author of the study. There are approximately 800 gynecologic oncologists in the United States. A directory can be found at the Society for Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO) web site at www.sgo.org.