[Prognostic factors for survival of ovarian epithelial cancers: apropos of 287 cases]. / Facteurs pronostiques de survie des cancers épithéliaux de l'ovaire: à propos de 287 cas.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate survival and assess prognostic factors in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 287 patients treated between 1975 and 1995. All operations were performed by senior surgeons. Histologic sections were reviewed by the same pathologist. Successive adjuvant chemotherapy regimens are described. Survival was evaluated in 1997. Follow-up lasted 25-260 months (median 90). Statistical methods included Kaplan-Meier survival curves, logrank test and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The five-year survival rates 76%, 42%, 21% and 6% for patients with stage I, II, III and IV disease, respectively. Age, FIGO stage, cytology of ascites, histologic type and grade, extent of surgery and number of residual tumors were significant prognostic indicators in univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that the risk of mortality was reduced by 57% for patients whose tumor distribution permitted optimal surgery (RR = 0.43, 95% CI [0.29-0.64]; P < 0.001). The risk of mortality according to FIGO stage was 2.8 (95% CI [1.2-6.3]; P = 0.01) for FIGO II, 5.6 (95% CI [2.9-10.8]; P < 0.001) for FIGO III and 10.5 (95% CI [4.9-22.1]; P < 0.001) for FIGO IV in comparison with FIGO I. The risk of mortality for patients treated with alkylating agents, platinum-based combination chemotherapy taxanes or carboplatin plus paclitaxel regimen compared with patients who did not receive treatment was reduced by 47% (95% CI [8%-69%]; P = 0.025), 55% (95% CI [22%-74%]; P = 0.005) and 70% (95% CI [35%-86%]; P = 0.002), respectively. Patients with a serous epithelial carcinoma had a 1.7-fold higher risk of mortality than patients with other histologic types (RR = 1.7, 95% CI [1.1-2.8]; P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Our study confirms the benefit of cytoreductive surgery and the efficacy of platinum plus paclitaxel first-line chemotherapy, which has recently been recognized as the standard treatment for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

[Congenital arteriovenous malformation of the internal iliac artery discovered during pregnancy]. / Malformation artérioveineuse congénitale de l'artère iliaque interne découverte au cours de la grossesse.

We report a case found at the start of labour because of the presence of a "tumour praevia". Ultrasound, Doppler and tomodensitometric examination carried out after caesarean section confirmed the vascular origin of this lesion. Arteriography made it possible to decide the pattern of this arteriovenous malformation which was occurring in several branches of the left internal iliac artery. It was not possible to obliterate it completely by selective arterial embolisation, so it was removed surgically a few months later. Little is known about the complications that occur because of these arteriovenous malformations in pregnancy and during delivery. There is the theoretical risk that spontaneous rupture will occur in pregnancy but this does not justify terminating the pregnancy. It is better to carry out caesarean section because the tumour can obstruct delivery and may rupture as well as causing delay in labour. The treatment for these lesions is sometimes difficult and complex and one has to decide whether to preserve the uterus or not. Selective embolisation and pre-operative embolisation followed by surgical removal of dysplasic tissue are the therapies of choice.