Objective: To investigate the prognostic significance of complete gross resection following cytoreductive surgery for patients with advanced stage malignant ovarian germ cell tumors.
Methods: The National Cancer Data Base was accessed and patients diagnosed with an advanced stage (II-IV) malignant ovarian germ cell tumor who underwent primary cytoreductive surgery between 2011 and 2014 were selected for further analysis. For analysis purposes two groups were formed: patients with complete gross resection and those with macroscopic residual disease. Demographic and clinico-pathological characteristics were compared with the chi-square and Mann-Whitney U test. Univariate survival analysis was performed with the log-rank test after generation of Kaplan-Meier curves, while a Cox proportional hazard model was constructed to evaluate mortality after controlling for confounders.
Results: A total of 343 patients who met the inclusion criteria were identified. Residual disease status was available for 276 patients: the rate of complete gross resection was 69.2 %. By univariate analysis there was no difference in overall survival between patients in the complete gross resection and macroscopic residual disease groups, P= 0.26; 3-year overall survival rates: 86.4 % and 82.8 %, respectively. No difference in overall survival was noted following stratification by histology; P = 0.64 and P = 0.24 for dysgerminoma and non-dysgerminoma tumor groups. After controlling for stage IV disease, histology and the administration of chemotherapy, macroscopic residual disease was not associated with a worse mortality (HR: 1.22, 95% CI: 0.61 to 2.46).
Conclusions: Macroscopic residual disease following primary cancer-directed surgery was not associated with a worse prognosis in a cohort of patients with advanced stage malignant ovarian germ cell tumors.
Keywords: debulking; dysgerminoma; germ cell; ovary; residual disease.
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