Predictive value of the Adult Comorbidity Evaluation 27 on adverse surgical outcomes and survival in elderly with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer undergoing cytoreductive surgery

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the ability of Adult Comorbidity Evaluation 27 (ACE-27) to predict perioperative outcomes and survival in elderly women with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (AEOC) undergoing cytoreductive surgery.

Methods: We collected patients with AEOC in our hospital between January 1, 2012 and January 1, 2021. Patients younger than 65 years old or those with non-epithelial ovarian cancer were excluded. ACE-27 was applied retrospectively to assess comorbidities in the selected patients, who were then classified into two groups based on their ACE-27 scores: low ACE-27 score group (none to mild) and high ACE-27 score group (moderate to severe).

Results: A total of 222 elderly women with AEOC were included, of whom 164 patients accepted debulking surgery. Among those who have undergone surgery, Clavien-Dindo grade III + perioperative complications or unintended intensive care unit (ICU) admission occurred more often in patients of high ACE-27 score group, with statistically significant difference (odds ratio [OR]: 4.21, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28-14.35, p = 0.018). Further stratified analyses by age, BMI, FIGO stage and pathology also prove that OS of patients graded severe was shorter than patients graded none to moderate in cohort of age < 70, BMI < 25 kg/m², FIGO III stage and pathology of serous, respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival curves analyzed by log-rank test showed that the overall survival (OS) of patients with severe comorbidities were shorter than with none to moderate (HR 3.25, 95%CI 1.55-6.79, p = 0.002).

Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate the ability of ACE-27 to predict grade III + perioperative complications or unintended ICU admission and survival in elderly patients with AEOC. This highlights the possibility for ACE-27 to play an instrumental role in identifying AEOC patients who are more susceptible to adverse surgical outcomes and have a poor survival rate and assisting in decisions regarding treatment.

Keywords: ACE-27; Comorbidity; Elderly; Ovarian cancer; Surgery.