Chemo before surgery has better effect on advanced ovarian cancer patients: study

Chemotherapy before surgery will cause less side effects on female patients with advanced ovarian cancer, according to a study released on Wednesday by the University College London (UCL).

Researchers from UCL and University of Birmingham carried out a clinical trial to compare the effects of different ovarian cancer treatment strategies.

A total of 550 women with the disease took part in the trial, with 276 given the standard treatment of surgery followed by six cycles of chemotherapy, and 274 had surgery after three cycles of chemotherapy, according to the study.

They found that post-surgery complications and death within 28 days of surgery was most common among women given surgery first. Women who received delayed surgery suffered fewer symptoms, a reduction in overall side effects and had a lower death rate.

Delaying surgery also reduced the amount of time the patient spent in the hospital after surgery - a benefit to both the patient and public health resources.

The trial showed that shrinking the tumor before surgery reduced side effects and hospital stay, which means "improved quality of life, without compromising survival, which is better for patients", said Professor Sean Kehoe, study author and a professor at the University of Birmingham.

The study has been published in the journal the Lancet. Endit