BMC Cancer (May 2021)

Comparison of dose-dense vs. 3-weekly paclitaxel and carboplatin in the first-line treatment of ovarian cancer in a propensity score-matched cohort

  • Rafaela Pirolli,
  • Viviane Teixeira Loiola de Alencar,
  • Felipe Leonardo Estati,
  • Adriana Regina Gonçalves Ribeiro,
  • Daniella Yumi Tsuji Honda,
  • Mariana de Oliveira,
  • Joao Paulo da Silveira Nogueira Lima,
  • Elizabeth Santana dos Santos,
  • Andrea Paiva Gadelha Guimarães,
  • Glauco Baiocchi,
  • Alexandre André Balieiro Anastácio da Costa

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-021-08270-0
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 21, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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Abstract Background Benefit of carboplatin and dose-dense weekly paclitaxel (ddCT) in first line treatment of ovarian cancer patients has been different in Western and Asian studies. In the present study we compare progression-free survival (PFS) of ddCT to three-weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel (CT) in first-line treatment of ovarian carcinoma in a single institution in a Western population. Materials and methods We conducted a retrospective review of medical records from patients with ovarian carcinoma treated in a tertiary cancer center from 2007 to 2018. All patients treated with ddCT or CT in the first-line setting were included. Patients who received first-line bevacizumab were not included. PFS and overall survival (OS) were compared in a propensity score-matched cohort to address selection bias. Patients were matched according to age, ECOG performance status, CA 125, FIGO stage, residual disease, and histological subtype, in a 1:2 ratio. Results Five hundred eighty-eight patients were eligible for propensity score matching, the final cohort consisted of 69 patients treated with ddCT and 138 CT group. Baseline characteristics were well-balanced. After a median follow-up of 65.1 months, median PFS was 29.3 vs 20.0 months, favouring ddCT treatment (p = 0.035). In the multivariate cox regression ddCT showed a 18% lower risk of progression (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.68–0.99, p = 0.04). Overall survival data is immature, but suggested better outcomes for ddCT (not reached versus 78.8 months; p = 0.07). Conclusion Our retrospective study has shown superior PFS of ddCT over CT regimen in first-line treatment of ovarian carcinoma in a Western population not treated with bevacizumab.

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