Abdominopelvic radiotherapy in ovarian cancer. A 10-year experience

A 10-year experience is presented of the use of postoperative abdominopelvic radiotherapy in 415 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, Stages I, II, and III. Five- and 10-year survival and relapse-free data are reported by stage and residuum. Risk of relapse was analyzed in detail according to histologic features, residuum, and stage. The main emphasis of the analysis was defining criteria for selecting the patients who should be treated with abdominopelvic irradiation. This was accomplished when patients treated between 1971 and 1978 were grouped according to histologic findings as well as stage and residuum and the criteria were validated with a high degree of reproducibility in patients treated 1979 to 1981. The group of patients in whom abdominopelvic irradiation was indicated as definitive postoperative treatment comprised approximately one third of the overall patient population and their 5-year survival rate exceeded 70%. Serious bowel or liver toxicity occurred in 4% of patients.