ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Decrease in skeletal muscle index (SMI) during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) has been associated with worse outcome in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. To validate these findings, we tested if a decrease in SMI was a prognostic factor for a homogenous cohort of patients who received NACT in the randomized phase 3 OVHIPEC-trial. METHODS: CT-scans were performed at baseline and after two cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in stage III ovarian cancer patients. The SMI (skeletal muscle area in cm2 divided by body surface area in m2) was calculated using SliceOMatic software. The difference in SMI between both CT-scans (ΔSMI) was calculated. Cox-regression analyses were performed to analyze the independent effect of a difference in SMI (ΔSMI) on outcome. Log-rank tests were performed to plot recurrence-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS). The mean number of adverse events per patient were compared between groups using t-tests. RESULTS: Paired CT-scans were available for 212 out of 245 patients (87%). Thirty-four of 74 patients (58%) in the group with a decrease in ΔSMI and 73 of 138 of the patients (53%) in the group with stable/increase in ΔSMI had died. Median RFS and OS did not differ significantly (p = 0.297 and p = 0.764) between groups. Patients with a decrease in SMI experienced more pre-operative adverse events, and more grade 3-4 adverse events. CONCLUSION: Decreased SMI during neoadjuvant chemotherapy was not associated with worse outcome in patients with stage III ovarian cancer included in the OVHIPEC-trial. However, a strong association between decreasing SMI and adverse events was found.
Subject(s)
Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions/epidemiology , Neoadjuvant Therapy/adverse effects , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/epidemiology , Ovarian Neoplasms/therapy , Sarcopenia/epidemiology , Aged , Body Mass Index , Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic , Cytoreduction Surgical Procedures , Disease-Free Survival , Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions/etiology , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Multicenter Studies as Topic , Muscle, Skeletal/diagnostic imaging , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/prevention & control , Neoplasm Staging , Ovarian Neoplasms/complications , Ovarian Neoplasms/diagnosis , Ovarian Neoplasms/mortality , Preoperative Period , Prognosis , Prospective Studies , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Retrospective Studies , Risk Assessment/statistics & numerical data , Risk Factors , Sarcopenia/diagnosis , Sarcopenia/etiology , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) improved investigator-assessed recurrence-free survival and overall survival in patients with stage III ovarian cancer in the phase III OVHIPEC-1 trial. We analyzed whether an open-label design affected the results of the trial by central blinded assessment of recurrence-free survival, and tested whether HIPEC specifically targets the peritoneal surface by analyzing the site of disease recurrence. METHODS: OVHIPEC-1 was an open-label, multicenter, phase III trial that randomized 245 patients after three cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy to interval cytoreduction with or without HIPEC using cisplatin (100 mg/m2). Patients received three additional cycles of chemotherapy after surgery. Computed tomography (CT) scans and serum cancer antigen 125 (CA125) measurements were performed during chemotherapy, and during follow-up. Two expert radiologists reviewed all available CT scans. They were blinded for treatment allocation and clinical outcome. Central revision included Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 measurements and peritoneal cancer index scorings at baseline, during treatment, and during follow-up. Time to centrally-revised recurrence was compared between study arms using Cox proportional hazard models. Subdistribution models compared time to peritoneal recurrence between arms, accounting for competing risks. RESULTS: CT scans for central revision were available for 231 patients (94%) during neoadjuvant treatment and 212 patients (87%) during follow-up. Centrally-assessed median recurrence-free survival was 9.9 months in the surgery group and 13.2 months in the surgery+HIPEC group (HR for disease recurrence or death 0.72, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.94; p=0.015). The improved recurrence-free survival and overall survival associated with HIPEC were irrespective of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and baseline peritoneal cancer index. Cumulative incidence of peritoneal recurrence was lower after surgery+HIPEC, but there was no difference in extraperitoneal recurrences. CONCLUSION: Centrally-assessed recurrence-free survival analysis confirms the benefit of adding HIPEC to interval cytoreductive surgery in patients with stage III ovarian cancer, with fewer peritoneal recurrences. These results rule out radiological bias caused by the open-label nature of the study.
