Advanced stage ovarian cancer patients with neoadjuvant chemotherapy suffered worse recurrence free survival

Background Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) has been applied for the treatment of patients with advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), fallopian tube cancer, and primary peritoneal cancer, as these patients have a low likelihood of achieving optimal debulking and are thus poor surgical candidates. Herein, we explore the effects of NACT and compare the surgical outcomes and recurrence data in patients who receive interval debulking surgery followed NACT(NACT-IDS) or primary debulking surgery(PDS). Methods A retrospective, single-center, observational study was conducted. Patients with advanced-stage EOC, fallopian tube cancer and primary peritoneal cancer who were treated with NACT or primary debulking surgery were enrolled. The effects of NACT as well as the surgical outcomes and recurrence data were compared between the NACT-IDS and PDS groups. Results The albumin level was elevated (42.61±3.46 g/L vs. 37.47±5.42 g/L, P=0.001) and the levels of CA12-5 and HE4 significantly decreased (P=0.002, 0.003) in patients after neoadjuvant courses. The operation time, amount of blood loss during surgery, rate of bowel resection, time to chemotherapy, and platinum-free interval were comparable between the two groups (P＞0.05). Recurrence-free survival was worse in the NACT-IDS group than in the PDS group (HR=2.406, 95% CI[1.024, 5.657]). Conclusion NACT improved the condition of advanced-stage patients, but a poor recurrence free survival rate was observed; thus, NACT should not be applied in non-selected patients.