Purpose: To assess the feasibility and morbidity of sequential cytoreductive surgery, carboplatin/paclitaxel chemotherapy, and consolidative abdominopelvic radiotherapy (APRT) in ovarian cancer.
Methods and materials: Between 1998 and 2000, 29 patients with optimally cytoreduced epithelial ovarian cancer were treated with carboplatin (135 mg/m2) and paclitaxel (area under the curve [AUC] of 6) followed by APRT in a prospective protocol. All patients were clinically, radiographically, and biochemically (CA-125) free of disease at the completion of chemotherapy. Abdominopelvic radiotherapy was delivered using 6 MV anterior-posterior photon fields to encompass the peritoneal cavity. Median follow-up was 4 years.
Results: Two patients experienced Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Grade 3 gastrointestinal toxicity during APRT; 6 patients, Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia; and 3 patients, Grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia. Overall, 10 patients had Grade 3 or 4 acute toxicity. All of the acute side effects resolved after treatment was completed, and there were no serious consequences such as sepsis or hemorrhage. Abdominopelvic radiotherapy was abandoned prematurely in 3 patients. Late side effects were seen in 5 patients, including 1 small bowel obstruction, 2 symptomatic sacral insufficiency fractures, 1 case of severe dyspareunia, and 1 case of prolonged fatigue. All resolved with supportive management. The 4-year actuarial disease-free survival was 57%, and the overall survival was 92%. Eleven of 12 patients who relapsed received salvage chemotherapy, which was well tolerated.
Conclusions: Abdominopelvic radiotherapy after optimal surgery and carboplatin/paclitaxel chemotherapy is associated with an acceptable risk of acute and late side effects and does not limit subsequent salvage chemotherapy. Consolidative APRT warrants further investigation as a means of improving the outcome of patients with ovarian cancer.