Evaluation of adjuvant therapy after surgery for primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of postoperative therapy (chemotherapy vs. irradiation) on overall survival.

DESIGN

A nationwide retrospective analysis.

SETTING

Hanusch-Krankenhaus, Department of Gynaecology,

SUBJECTS

115 patients with histologically proved primary carcinoma of the Fallopian tube: 49 received six treatment cycles of a cis-platinum regimen (group I), 24 patients were treated by full irradiation using 50 Gray minimum (group II). The two groups had a similar distribution of stage I and II; in the more advanced stages chemotherapy was the predominant method of treatment.

RESULTS

The five-year survival rate was 53% for women receiving irradiation as against 27% for those given cis-platinum. If the analysis was restricted to those patients with comparable stage I and stage II lesions, the p-value (0.07) was of borderline significance. There was no advantage in adding abdominal to pelvic irradiation (P = 0.62).

CONCLUSIONS

Stage I and stage II carcinoma is probably better treated postoperatively by radiotherapy than chemotherapy. Chemotherapy may have more therapeutic potential in patients with more advanced lesions.