[Survival reflecting the effectiveness of primary operation in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer]

Primary operation of ovarian cancer patients has a great implication in treatment. The survival of patients operated on optimally is better than in those patients, who have tumor residuum after the operation. The optimal result is more frequent in operations performed by gynecologist oncologists as is in surgery administered by general gynecologists or general surgeons.

Authors evaluated the data of 83 epithelial ovarian cancer patients treated by first-line paclitaxel-carboplatin chemotherapy in Gynecological Oncology Department, at National Institute of Oncology between 2000-2002 through a 35 months follow-up period.

Average age of patients was as 59 +/- 9.8 years. Primary optimal surgery was done in 45, non-optimal operations were administered in 38 patients. Distribution of patients according to the stages was similar in both groups. Evaluation of progression free interval was calculated according to the product limit method of Kaplan-Meier.

Progression free interval was 35 and 35 months in the optimal and non-optimal surgery groups and 36 and 35 months in the groups operated on by skillful or less practiced gynecologists in radical surgery. Gynecologist oncologists' first operations showed an optimal result in 76% of patients, contrary to other surgeons' group resulting in only a 43% first optimal surgery. A better progression free interval was observed in the patients having optimal surgery by the interval laparotomy in contrary to those patients, who had no optimal second operation (36 vs 25 months), however, the difference showed no statistical significance.

Authors believe the similar survival data could be caused by the short follow-up (35 months) and the small numbers in the patient-groups as well as the greater rate of advanced stage patients in the authors' department, in contrary to the partner municipal hospitals (23/29 = 80% versus 33/54 = 61%) resulting in worse survival chances. Proving the efficiency of radical surgery the survey is carried on.