PROGNOSTIC ROLE OF THE PRIMARY TREATMENT IN THE NATURAL HISTORY OF OVARIAN CANCER: A PILOT STUDY

Abstract

Epithelial Ovarian cancer is the most lethal and silent gynaecological tumor and relapses in about 75% of cases. Retrospective data supported the superiority of secondary cytoreduction surgery (SCS) plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone; in order to best select patients for SCS literature established a clinical score based on ascites, performance status, and absence of residual disease to primary surgery. The present study analyzed the outcomes and pattern of relapse of a population with first relapse of ovarian cancer undergoing secondary surgery without residual tumor divided into two groups based on the type of treatment at the first diagnosis (primary debulking surgery [PDS] or neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery [IDS]). This is an observational retrospective study carried out at the referred Centre of Oncologic Gynaecology of Bologna, Italy on patients who underwent SCS for ovarian cancer between January 2009 and December 2019 retrieved in an electronic data1 Division of Oncologic Gynaecology, IRCCS, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy 2 Center for Applied Biomedical Research, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy 3 University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: