The Use of CA-125 KELIM to Identify Which Patients Can Achieve Complete Cytoreduction after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in High-Grade Serous Advanced Ovarian Cancer

Cancers (Basel). 2024 Mar 24;16(7):1266. doi: 10.3390/cancers16071266.

Abstract

(1) Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery is used in the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer. However, no tool can safely predict if complete cytoreduction after 3-4 cycles can be achieved. This study aims to investigate if the KELIM score can be a triage tool in the identification of patients that will be ideal candidates for interval debulking surgery (IDS). (2) Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the records of patients with high-grade serous advanced ovarian cancer that were treated in the 1st Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology, 2012-2022, with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by IDS. Patient characteristics, oncological outcome and follow-up information were collected. The primary outcome was the association of the KELIM score with residual disease. (3) Results: 83 patients were categorized into two groups: Group A (51 patients) with favorable (≥1) and Group B (32 patients) with unfavorable (<1) KELIM scores. A statistically significant correlation between KELIM and residual disease (p < 0.05) exists, showing that patients with a favorable KELIM score can achieve a complete IDS. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant difference in overall survival (p = 0.017), but no difference was observed in progression-free survival (p = 0.13); (4) Conclusions: KELIM seems to safely triage patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and decide who will benefit from IDS.

Keywords: KELIM score; neoadjuvant therapy; ovarian cancer.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.