The published studies suggest that for selected women with stage IIIC or IV epithelial ovarian cancer , neoadjuvant chemotherapy and interval cytoreduction are non-inferior to primary cytoreduction and adjuvant chemotherapy with respect to overall and progression-free survival and are associated with less perioperative morbidity and mortality .
PURPOSE To provide guidance to clinicians regarding the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and interval cytoreduction among women with stage IIIC or IV epithelial ovarian cancer .
Specialized and high-volume care leads to better outcomes of ovarian cancer treatment in the Netherlands.
OBJECTIVE We investigated the influence of hospital and gynecologist level of specialization and volume on surgical results and on survival of ovarian cancer patients . METHODS Data were collected from 1077 ovarian cancer patients treated from 1996 to 2003 in a r and om sample of 18 Dutch hospitals .  Hospitals and gynecologists were classified according to specialization ( general , semi-specialized or specialized ) and by volume ( < or=6 , 7 - 12 , or > 12 cases/year ) . Outcomes were percentage of adequately staged and optimally debulked patients and length of overall survival . Data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression ( surgical results ) and Cox regression ( survival ) . RESULTS The level of specialization and the volume of hospitals and of gynecologists were strongly related to the proportion of adequately staged patients ( adjusted odds ratio ( OR ) specialized hospitals 3.9 ( 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) 2.0 - 7.6 ) ; specialized gynecologists 9.5 ( 95 % CI 4.7 - 19 ) ) . Patients with stage III disease had a higher chance of optimal debulking when treated in specialized hospitals ( adjusted OR 1.7 ( 95 % CI 1.1 - 2.7 ) ) or by high volume gynecologists ( adjusted OR 2.8 ( 95 % CI 1.4 - 5.7 ) ) . Overall survival was best in patients treated in specialized hospitals and by high-volume gynecologists . CONCLUSION The specialization level of hospitals and the surgical volume of gynecologists positively influence outcomes of surgery and survival . Concentration of ovarian cancer care thus seems warranted
The published studies suggest that for selected women with stage IIIC or IV epithelial ovarian cancer , neoadjuvant chemotherapy and interval cytoreduction are non-inferior to primary cytoreduction and adjuvant chemotherapy with respect to overall and progression-free survival and are associated with less perioperative morbidity and mortality .
PURPOSE To provide guidance to clinicians regarding the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and interval cytoreduction among women with stage IIIC or IV epithelial ovarian cancer .