Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the Medicare cohort with advanced ovarian cancer.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The value of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer has yet to be determined. While NAC may facilitate and simplify complete cytoreduction and reduce the risk of surgery, the delay of surgery related to NAC needs to be balanced against any potential benefit.

Methods

Surveillance, Epidemiology and End-Results (SEER) data linked to Medicare claims were used to identify 6844 women with treated stage III/IV epithelial ovarian cancer (1995-2005). Patients were classified by primary treatment (surgery (PDS) or chemotherapy), and the primary chemotherapy group was characterized as having NAC or palliative chemotherapy (PC) based on whether there was documentation that surgery was recommended. We compared surgical complications and surv

SUBMITTER: Thrall MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3217095 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature