[A study of prognostic factors of stage IV epithelial ovarian cancer]

Abstract

Objective: To determine the effects of treatments for stage IV epidermal ovarian cancer and detect the prognostic factors.

Methods: 31 cases primarily treated in our hospital from 1990 to 1998 were analyzed retrospectively.

Results: Univariate analysis showed that the number of courses of chemotherapy, the size of residual disease, the histologic cell type, and the metastatic site were the significant prognostic factors(P < 0.05). Cox proportional hazard model confirmed that two factors (the size of residual lesion < or = 2 cm and the cycles of chemotherapy > or = 8 decreased the death odds ratio by 0.28 and 0.72 respectively. Three factors (lack of operation, presence of supraclavicular lymph node involvement and liver involvement) increased the death odds ratio by 14.25 times, 11.44 times and 1.85 times respectively (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Surgical debulking, aggressive and appropriate chemotherapy are important measures to improve survival rate for patients with stage IV epithelial ovarian cancer.