Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced ovarian cancer

Abstract

Epithelial cancers of ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal origin exhibit similar clinical characteristics and behavior. As such, these are often combined together and define epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) in clinical trials and clinical. Nearly 75 % of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed with advanced stage disease at presentation. Treatment with primary cytoreductive surgery (PDS) followed by chemotherapy has been the standard of care for these women. The aim of this article is to set out the rationale for, and data supporting the use of, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), because therapeutic benefit of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval cytoreduction remains controversial.