Open AccessPostoperative Irradiation and Chemotherapy in Patients with Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Author(s) -
Welander C.,
Kjørstad K. E.,
Kolstad P.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.3109/00016347809155896
Subject(s) - medicine , laparotomy , chemotherapy , radiation therapy , surgery , ovarian cancer , randomized controlled trial , stage (stratigraphy) , clinical trial , pelvis , ovarian carcinoma , radical surgery , cancer , paleontology , biology
. Two groups of patients with stage III ovarian carcinoma were selected for a randomized clinical trial. The first group consisted of 157 patients who had radical surgery at their first laparotomy, the second group consisted of 145 patients with inoperable disease. The aim of the trial was to compare the results of maximum external megavoltage irradiation, 5 000 rads, to a large abdominal field, with the results of a reduced dose, 3 000 rads, immediately followed by chemotherapy with an alkylating agent (Thio‐tepa). In none of the groups, did maximum radiotherapy prove superior to the schedule of a reduced dose combined with chemotherapy. The less costly and time saving combined treatment was better tolerated than irradiation alone. Histological tumour type did not influence the prognosis in these advanced cases where spread was found outside the true pelvis.