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What first-line therapy is optimal for patients with advanced ovarian cancer?

Rafał Moszyński, Anna Monies-Nowicka

Affiliacja i adres do korespondencji
Curr Gynecol Oncol 2018, 16 (2), p. 89–95
DOI: 10.15557/CGO.2018.0011
Streszczenie

Ovarian carcinoma remains a serious clinical challenge. Five-year survival rates in patients with ovarian carcinoma reach merely 46%, while the rate of patients diagnosed with advanced ovarian carcinoma (stage III and IV according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) amounts to 70%. It is very important to establish the correct diagnosis, confirm it histopathologically, and plan treatment in patients suspected of having a malignant ovarian tumor. In the diagnostic process, one should assess whether complete cytoreduction is possible, as this is the only optimal therapy for patients. After surgery, patients usually receive chemotherapy, typically paclitaxel and carboplatin in 6 courses every 3 weeks. In certain cases, intravenous chemotherapy can be combined with intraperitoneal therapy. The latest studies have also shown benefits of adding antiangiogenic agents, such as bevacizumab, to chemotherapy. This modification is associated with prolonged recurrence-free survival by approximately 4 months. The most common complications of antiangiogenic therapy are proteinuria and hypertension. When it is not possible to perform primary cytoreductive surgery in advanced ovarian cancer patients, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, usually including paclitaxel and carboplatin, can be applied. Treatment outcomes are similar to those obtained in patients with suboptimal primary resection, whilst perioperative mortality is significantly lower. Debulking surgery can be reconsidered after 3 courses of chemotherapy. In patients using antiangiogenic agents, such as bevacizumab, it is important to maintain a 6-week drug-free interval before and after surgery, as this drug affects operative wound healing.

Słowa kluczowe
ovarian carcinoma, surgery, chemotherapy, antiangiogenic therapy