ADVANCED MINIMAL RESIDUAL OVARIAN-CARCINOMA - ABDOMINO-PELVIC IRRADIATION FOLLOWING COMBINATION CHEMOTHERAPY

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  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 61  (5) , 619-623
Abstract
Patients (17) with advanced ovarian carcinoma who had minimal residual intraabdominal disease after 6 mo. of combination chemotherapy were treated with abdominopelvic irradiation. All 17 patients had residual intraabdominal tumor nodules with a cross-sectional diameter of < than 2 cm. Eleven had only microscopic residual disease at the time of irradiation. Fourteen relapsed at a median of 8 mo. after the completion of radiotherapy. All but 2 had intraabdominal recurrences. Myelosuppression was common and severe, causing marked delays or discontinuation of radiotherapy in 10 of 17 patients. Patients receiving the entire planned dose of radiotherapy had longer disease-free survival (14 mo. median) than did patients receiving only partial doses (7 mo. median). Of 7 patients receiving full dose irradiation, 6 have relapsed. Abdominopelvic irradiation in the schedule employed here is poorly tolerated and is not an effective salvage treatment in patients with limited or microscopic residual tumor following initial combination chemotherapy.