[After-care and palliative therapeutic measures in ovarian carcinoma]

In the palliative treatment of incurable cancer cytotoxic chemotherapy is frequently used. While prolongation of life may be a desired aim of treatment, this is only rarely achieved. Most studies concentrate on the assessment of tumor size as a index of response, but of more importance is the evaluation of symptom relief and the effects of treatment on quality of life. There is an urgent need of guidelines for palliative treatments and care, which are based on appropriate end points for assessing benefit to patients.