Post-therapy surveillance and after-care in ovarian cancer

Abstract

Objectives: Methods for surveillance of patients having completed primary cancer treatment are still not based on clinical studies, due to lack thereof. Therefore this study investigated how far surveillance as such, location of follow-up, method of detection, time of detection as well as early versus delayed start therapy for recurrence influences patients' overall survival.

Study design: Seven hundred and four patient cases were retrospectively analyzed by chart review, each of whom had no evidence of tumor remaining after completion of primary cancer treatment.

Results: The aforementioned parameters had no significant influence on survival. Patients with late relapses showed significantly better chances of being cured by treatment for cancer recurrence (P<0.001). Patients profited significantly from successful treatment for recurrence (P<0.001).

Conclusion: The study provided no evidence of intensive follow-up offering higher chances of survival. However, more intensive surveillance after a period of 2 years may prove beneficial.