Predictors of suboptimal surgical cytoreduction in women with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer treated with initial chemotherapy

The objective of this study was to retrospectively evaluate predictors of suboptimal surgical cytoreduction (SSC) in women with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) treated with initial chemotherapy (IC). All women with EOC treated with IC at our hospital between January 1, 1995, and January 1, 2003, were eligible; 128 patients met inclusion criteria and underwent retrospective chart review. Eighty-four patients (66%) had an optimal surgical cytoreduction (OSC), 14 patients (11%) had an SSC, and 30 (23%) patients were treated with chemotherapy only (CO). Patients in the SSC group had more small-bowel mesentery disease on preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan compared to the OSC group (38% SSC vs 6% OSC, P = 0.024). Patients in the SSC group were also more likely to have disease on the liver surface, small-bowel surface, large-bowel mesentery, bladder peritoneum, spleen, and diaphragm that was not reported on preoperative CT but found at surgery. More patients in the SSC group had chemoresistant disease (indicated by stable or progressive disease on CT scan [56% SSC vs 17% OSC, P = 0.05]) and less of a decrease in their CA-125 values (69% SSC vs 93% OSC, P <= 0.001) than patients in the OSC group. Many women with advanced EOC do not have OSC even if initially treated with IC. We created novel algorithms to identify patients who would likely have an SSC after IC. For those patients highly likely to have an SSC, CO may be offered as a reasonable alternative, decreasing the morbidity of an extensive surgical procedure that may not provide survival benefit.