Advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma in Thai women: should we continue to offer second-look laparotomy?

OBJECTIVE: To determine survival among patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) who underwent a second-look laparotomy (SLL) and those refusing the procedure. Also to analyze factor(s) influencing the survival of the patients. METHOD AND MATERIAL: Medical records were reviewed of patients with advanced EOC who were clinically free of disease after primary surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy between January 1, 1992, and December 31, 1998. All of them were offered SLL. Measurement outcomes include patient survival and disease-free survival. RESULTS: There were 50 patients with clinically complete remission after chemotherapy. Sixteen patients underwent SLL, and thirty-four patients refused the procedure (NSLL). Seven patients (43.8%) were reported to have positive SLL. After the median follow-up time of 35 months, 12 patients had died, and 5 patients were lost to follow-up. The median survival time for patients with SLL was about 60 months. Five-year survival rates of patients in the SLL, and NSLL groups were 37 per cent (95%CI = 7%-69%), and 88 per cent (95%CI = 65%-96%) respectively (P<0.001). The median time to relapse was about 25 months for patients with negative SLL. Five-year disease-free survival rates of patients in the negative SLL, and NSLL groups were 28 per cent (95%CI = 4%-59%), and 54 per cent (95%CI = 34%-70%) respectively (P=0.251). By Cox regression analysis, tumor grade was the only significant prognostic factor influencing patients' survival (HR = 6, 95%CI of HR = 1.2-34.2). CONCLUSION: The second-look laparotomy doesn't have a favorable impact on overall and disease-free survival. Tumor grade is the only independent prognostic variable for survival of the patients.

Epithelial ovarian cancer treated by platinum or platinum analogue with cyclophosphamide: experience in Ramathibodi Hospital.

This study presented the outcome of 92 EOC patients treated by platinum or platinum analogue with cyclophosphamide from January 1, 1993 to December 31, 1995. There were 77 evaluable patients. The follow-up ranged from 4-42 months (median 14 months). The over all 3-year survival was 64 per cent and the median progression-free interval was 16 months for the whole group. There was no significant difference in survival between patients who received cisplatin and those who received carboplatin (P = 0.093). Patients who underwent optimal debulking surgery had significantly longer progression-free interval (P = 0.001) than those who had sub-optimal surgery. Fifty four per cent of patients with clear cell carcinoma died of the disease. Patients who received cisplatin had a drop out rate while on therapy more often (24% vs 5.3%) than that of carboplatin. Toxicities from chemotherapy were moderate but manageable.

Prognostic factors associated with recurrence in stage IB cervical carcinoma after radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy.

Radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy is the treatment of choice for stage IB cervical carcinoma. Recurrence of disease usually results in poor prognosis. The prognostic factors associated with recurrence were analyzed in 182 patients with stage IB cervical carcinoma treated with radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy at Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ramathibodi Hospital from May 1969 to December 1988. Twenty-one patients (11.5%) developed recurrent cervical cancer. Factors which were found to have statistical significance associated with recurrence were positive lymph node, positive surgical margin and cervical lesion size of 3 cm or more. The application of these factors was discussed.

Assessment of endocervical curettage in colposcopy.

Colposcopy has become an accepted diagnostic procedure in the management of patients with abnormal cervical cytology. To assess the value of the endocervical curettage in colposcopy, a retrospective review of 125 cases who had the procedure done during the 20-month period (January 1986-August 1988) was carried out. The ECC were positive in 3 out of 57 (5.3%) patients with satisfactory examination and 24 out of 68 (35.3%) patients with unsatisfactory examination. In all 27 cases, there was insufficient tissue to make a diagnosis of invasive carcinoma. Of the 125 patients studied seventy-two (29 in the satisfactory group and 43 in the unsatisfactory group) underwent conization and/or hysterectomy. Endocervical curettage did not eliminate the need for cone biopsy in all cases of unsatisfactory colposcopy. The tissue diagnosis on ECC did not increase the diagnostic accuracy derived from the colposcopic directed biopsies in either group. There were 20 cases of invasive carcinoma (13 MIC, 7 invasive) in this study, the ECC were positive in 9. We concluded that the ECC has limited value in colposcopy.

The risk factors in the development of persistent trophoblastic disease following hydatidiform mole.

Hydatidiform mole (HM) is not uncommon in our country. Its dangerous sequalae is the fatal persistent trophoblastic disease (PTD). The prognostic risk factors for the development of PTD were analyzed in 108 cases of HM treated in Ramathibodi Hospital from 1978 to 1986. Statistical univariate analysis was by calculation of relative risk (RR) and chi-square test. The incidence of PTD was 27.8 per cent. The significant risk factors were the presence of theca-lutein cyst, gestational age of less than 16 weeks, "large for date" uterus, and patients' age of 40 years or more. Their RR were 4.25, 3.11, 3.00 and 2.68 respectively. These findings were comparable with previous reports. The use of prophylactic chemotherapy in patients with these risk factors was suggested.

Uterine sarcomas at Ramathibodi Hospital (1969-1986).

Uterine sarcoma is a rare gynecological malignancy. This retrospective study covered a period of 18 years and during that time 15 cases of uterine sarcoma were treated in Ramathibodi Hospital. It represented an incidence of 6 per 10,000 gynecological admissions. There were 9 leiomyosarcomas, 3 endometrial stromal sarcomas, 2 mixed mullerian sarcomas, and one rhabdomyosarcoma. The average age of the patients was 45.67 years, 3 under 40 and five after menopause. The mean parity was 4. The most common presenting symptoms were vaginal bleeding and abdominal mass. The diagnostic curettage was positive in only 2 out of 7 cases. All were treated by hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Two out of 4 cases who received adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy were still-alive at 1 and 3 year follow-up. The crude survival rate was 40 per cent.