Short-Term Morbidity and Clinical Response After a 2-Week Versus 6-Week Interval From Debulking Surgery to Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Background

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of time interval between debulking surgery to adjuvant chemotherapy on the short-term morbidity and carcinoma antigen (CA)-125 level.

Patients and Methods

A total of 43 patients with primary debulking surgery for operable stage epithelial ovarian cancer (stage IB to IIIC) from January 2008 to January 2010 were analyzed prospectively. The participants were randomized into 2 groups. The surgical–chemotherapy interval group 2 (SCI2) (n = 22) received adjuvant chemotherapy (carboplatin and paclitaxel) within 2 weeks after primary debulking surgery and the SCI6 (n = 21) group received the same chemotherapy agents 6 weeks after the primary surgery. A computerized randomization technique was used.

Results

Participants in the SCI2 group had a better CA-125 reduction after 6 cycles of chemotherapy (P < .005) compared with the SCI6 group. The incidence of anemia was more significant in the SCI2 group (P < .005) than in the other group. However, there were no significant differences in wound breakdown, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and clinical response of chemotherapy between the 2 groups.

Conclusion

Time interval between primary surgery to the commencement of adjuvant chemotherapy had no significant effect on short-term morbidity, but had an improved effect on biochemical (CA-125) response.