Curative potential of primary whole-abdomen irradiation in ovarian carcinoma

Ovarian carcinoma remains a leading cause of cancer mortality in American women. The identification of active chemotherapy drugs and regimens has resulted in much less frequent use of radiation therapy at a time when technical and conceptual advances have been made. Unfortunately, the shift from radiotherapy to chemotherapy has not produced a discernible improvement in patient survival. Retrospective and prospective data suggest that whole-abdomen irradiation offers curative potential in patients with nonbulky residual disease after surgical cytoreduction. Its use should therefore be reconsidered as a primary adjuvant therapy in properly selected patients.