Postoperative treatment of early cancer of the ovary: a random trial between postoperative irradiation and chemotherapy.

One hundred and forty-nine patients with early cancer of the ovary who were suitable for postoperative radiotherapy were treated in a random study in which the efficacy of whole abdominal irradiation with additional irradiation to the pelvis was compared to that of chemotherapy with melphalan. The number of patients without evidence of disease at 2 years indicates that both treatments give similar results. However, the survivals among patients with stage I ovarian cancer showed an improvement for women treated with irradiation, survivals among patients with stage II ovarian cancer showed only a minor difference between women treated with irradiation and those treated with chemotherapy, and survivals among patients with stage III ovarian cancer improved for women treated with chemotherapy. The complications resulting from both treatments differed greatly. Melphalan was well tolerated; it caused serious bone marrow depression in only one patient. The blood counts of all patients after completing their prescribed chemotherapy promptly returned to normal levels. Seven patients treated with irradiation developed small bowel injury requiring surgery. Six of these patients, however, were treated with irradiation to the pelvis followed by strip irradiation to the entire abdomen. Since this treatment plan probably gives excessive doses of irradiation to the pelvis, it has been discontinued.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes