Klein M, Rosen A, Lahousen M, Graf A, Vavra N, Pakisch B, Poschauko J, Beck A, Kucera H
Department of Gynaecology, Hanusch-Krankenhaus, Vienna, Austria.
Arch Gynecol Obstet. 1994;255(1):19-24. doi: 10.1007/BF02390670.
To evaluate the impact of postoperative therapy (chemotherapy vs. irradiation) on overall survival.
A nationwide retrospective analysis.
Hanusch-Krankenhaus, Department of Gynaecology,
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.
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).
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.
