Risks and benefits of cisplatin in ovarian cancer. A quality-adjusted survival analysis

Both the efficacy and toxicity of short intensive cisplatin-based chemotherapy was established in an unselected group of patients with stage III-IV ovarian cancer. The impact of this treatment on quality of life (QOL) was assessed by the TWIST index, expressed as Time Without Symptoms of Treatment and Disease, in relation to the individual length of progression free survival (PFS). Sixty-eight patients were treated with six cycles of a combination of cyclophosphamide, Adriamycin and cisplatin (CAP-5), every 4 weeks. Patients with a clinical response to treatment were evaluated by second look laparotomy (SLL), which could be performed in 52 patients. There were 20 pathological CR, seven microscopic disease, 17 PR and eight SD in these 52 patients. Median follow up at evaluation was 22 months. The median progression free survival (PFS) was 18 months and the median overall survival 22 months. The median duration of TWIST was 10 months, indicating that about 8 months were lost to symptoms due to treatment or hospital admissions for chemotherapy or laparotomy. Of 45 patients receiving six cycles, only eight patients had no symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, and four patients were free of nephropathy at the end of treatment. The overall survival for this limited duration of treatment is similar to that after more protracted treatment. Despite its limited duration, however, about 28% of the cumulative period of progression free survival is consumed by the treatment and its side-effects. Correction of PFS by TWIST may be a suitable instrument to compare the impact of different cytotoxic schedules on quality of life.