[Early recurrent factors of ovarian cancer after treatment]

Recurrence of ovarian cancer is an important factor that leads to therapeutic failure. At present, the treatment in ovarian cancer is not sufficiently effective. This study was designed to investigate the factors of early recurrence after treatment in ovarian cancer in order to reduce its recurrence.

The clinical data of the ovarian cancer patients admitted to Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University during January 1986 to May 1996 who recurred within one year after treatment were analyzed retrospectively. The recurrent rates were compared according to their different clinical stages, pathological types, and residual volumes of the disease as well as the number of courses of pre and postoperative chemotherapy received. Chi-square test was used for statistic analysis.

Eighty-two of 373 cases recurred within one year after treatment; the overall recurrent rate was 22.0%. The 1-year recurrent rate in stage I-II patients was lower than that in stage III-IV patients (2.7% versus 30.3%, P< 0.01). The recurrent rate in the patients with undifferentiated adenocarcinoma was higher than that with other pathological type. The recurrent rate in the patients with residuals >or=2 cm was higher than that with residuals < 2 cm (33.8% versus 13.7%, P< 0.01). The recurrent rate in the patients with preoperative chemotherapy was lower than that without it. The recurrent rate in the patients who had received only 1-3 courses of postoperative chemotherapy was higher than that having received 4-6 or >6 courses (67.0% versus 7.7%, 67.0% versus 7.0%, respectively, P< 0.01).

Early (1-year) recurrence in the patients with ovarian cancer seems to be closely related to late stage of the disease, incomplete surgery, and insufficient chemotherapy courses.