Predictors of early mortality risk in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer

To improve the overall survival of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients, a more precise risk identification after completion of standard treatment will enhance patients' follow-up surveillance and the use of individualized targeted therapy.

This study explored the potential risk predictors of early mortality in EOC patients who had standard treatment with debulking surgery and chemotherapy.

The study included 93 EOC patients who had standard treatment and were followed up between January 2011 and December 2020. The sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory data of patients with EOC including the update on their 3-year follow-up status were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Early mortality is defined as the death of a patient within 3 years of completion of standard treatment. Patients' data were computed using descriptive statistics and the associations between patients' factors and the risk of early mortality were tested using the binary logistic regression model.

Early deaths occurred in 36 (38.7%) of patients with EOC. In the final multivariate analyses, early tumor relapse within 6-months of treatment completion was the only independent risk factor that predicts early mortality in EOC patients (risk ratio = 8.6, 95% confidence interval: 3.3-24.5, p < 0.01).

Our study suggests that early tumor relapse may be a useful surrogate of early mortality in EOC. However, our findings should be interpreted with caution pending further corroboration through an adequately powered, prospective multicenter study.