Intraperitoneal (IP) as opposed to intravenous (IV) chemotherapy is associated with better survival in patients with advanced ovarian cancer, according to a recent study published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Researchers led by Devansu Tewari, MD, of Kaiser Permanente Irvine Medical Center retrospectively observed data from the Gynecologic Oncology Group which included 876 patients at a median follow-up of 10.7 years.

They found that median survival with IP was 61.8 months compared to 51.4 months with IV.


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Additionally, IP was associated with a 23 percent decreased risk of death, and improved survival of those with gross residual disease. Death risk was decreased further by 12 percent for each cycle of IP chemotherapy that was completed.

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Younger patients were found to be more likely to complete IP regimen, with a 5 percent decreased probability of completion with each year of age.

“The advantage of IP over IV chemotherapy extends beyond 10 years,” the authors concluded. “Survival improved with increasing number of IP cycles.”

Reference

  1. Tewari, Devansu, et al. “Long-Term Survival Advantage and Prognostic Factors Associated With Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy Treatment in Advanced Ovarian Cancer: A Gynecologic Oncology Group Study.” Journal of Clinical Oncology. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2014.55.9898. [epub ahead of print]. March 23, 2015.