Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the Medicare cohort with advanced ovarian cancer.

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).

Thirty-day mortality after primary cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer in the elderly.

Objective: To identify factors associated with increased 30-day mortality after advanced ovarian cancer debulking among elderly women.

Methods: A database linking Medicare records with the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data was used to identify a cohort of 5,475 women aged 65 and older who had primary debulking surgery for stage III or IV epithelial ovarian cancer (diagnosed 1995-2005). Women were stratified by acuity of hospital admission.

Trends in treatment of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer in the Medicare population.

Objective: Optimal care for most patients with advanced ovarian cancer generally includes both surgery and chemotherapy. Little is known about the proportion of women in the US who receive combination care or the sequence in which this care is delivered. This study evaluated patterns of care, frequency of completion of recommended therapy and factors associated with sequencing of therapy.

Patterns of spread and recurrence of sex cord-stromal tumors of the ovary.

Objective: Sex cord-stromal tumors are an uncommon type of ovarian neoplasm and limited data are available in the literature to guide clinical management. Recent published series suggested a lack of lymph node involvement and recommended abandonment of the lymph node dissection as part of the primary surgical staging of these tumors. To confirm these findings, we evaluated pathologic findings in women undergoing surgical management of sex cord-stromal tumors in the Seattle metropolitan area.

Clinical use of combined positron emission tomography and computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in recurrent ovarian cancer.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of co-registered PET/CT using F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) for surveillance and follow-up of ovarian cancer patients to detect recurrent disease.

Material And Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on 39 ovarian cancer patients who underwent a total of 59 FDG-PET/CT scans. The following information was obtained: clinical indication for FDG-PET/CT, the results of FDG-PET/CT particularly with regard to the additional diagnostic information, the localization of disease and subsequent clinical patient management.