New trials show surgery for recurrent ovarian cancer does not improve chances of survival

Current recommendations are that in cases where ovarian cancer has returned following initial treatment, further surgery takes place in some cases to remove as much of the cancer as possible before recommencing chemotherapy treatment. However, hard evidence to support this practice is not available.

Now, following the result of a large clinical trial undertaken by the National Cancer Institute in the United States, it has been suggested that the secondary surgery does not improve how long patients with recurrent ovarian cancer survive. The findings even suggest that women who have additional surgery could fare worse than those who do not.

Dr Robert Coleman of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre and who led the trial, said “For four decades, doctors have thought that we can improve outcomes in women with recurrent disease if we operate” to remove as much of the tumour as possible.

Dr Coleman went on to say that when researchers designed the trial over ten years ago, they expected to see a survival benefit from the surgery.

He continued “The major question that has come up since the initial results of the trial were available is whether there were any subgroups for whom surgery provides a benefit.”

Dr Coleman added that the trial results demonstrated that progression-free survival may be prolonged by surgery for a few months, “but non-surgical therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer has gotten so good that it likely erases any kind of marginal benefit that surgery could have provided.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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