The Impact of Time Between Ovarian Cancer Treatments

Researchers attempted to establish a linear trend in their results, so the patients were put into different categories, such as residual disease, FIGO stage, etc. They found that residual disease was one of the most likely indicators of progression and death, as well as an independent prognostic factor. To continue their analysis, the patients were put into quartiles based on the amount of time taken between the different types of chemotherapy. Not only were those who took longer at a higher risk, but evidence also showed that they were more likely to have recurrence in the ovarian cancer. Patients who were placed in the highest quartile experienced the most severe risks of recurrence and death, while those in the lowest quartile were considered the most likely to live longer, with increased levels of health.

The results of multiple models were explained, "in terms of recurrence, multivariate analysis showed that a longer time interval was not a statistically significant prognostic factor, although there was a trend. Moreover, FIGO stage, non-high-grade serous carcinoma histology, and any residual disease were independent prognostic factors associated with a risk of progression. For OS, multivariate analysis showed that a longer time interval was an independent prognostic factor in all patients."