ObjectiveA numerical score, the peritoneal cancer index (PCI), was developed to reflect the extent of tumor growth in gastric and colorectal cancers and to tailor treatment. This study aimed to examine the value of the PCI score in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) regarding completeness of surgical cytoreduction and survival.MethodsThis was a prospective observational cohort study. Patients with primary serous EOC at International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages IIIB or higher were included. Patients with FIGO stage IVB as well as those assigned to receive neoadjuvant treatment were excluded from the study. The PCI was obtained and registered intraoperatively.ResultsIn the study period we recruited 96 patients with serous EOC stage IIIB–IVA. A PCI score cut-off value of 13 was calculated using a receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve, above which worse survival is expected (area under the curve [AUC]=0.641; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.517–0.765; sensitivity and specificity 80.6%, 45.0%, respectively; p=0.050). A multivariate analysis determined that suboptimal surgical cytoreduction was the only independent predictive factor for recurrence (odds ratio [OR]=7.548; 95% CI=1.473–38.675; p=0.015). A multivariate analysis determined that only suboptimal surgical cytoreduction (hazard ratio [HR]=2.33; 95% CI=0.616–8.795; p=0.005), but not PCI score >13 (HR=1.289; 95% CI=0.329–5.046; p=0.716), was an independent predictive factor for death.ConclusionWe conclude from this study that the PCI score is a reliable tool helping to assess the extent of disease in advanced serous EOC patients and may help predicting complete surgical cytoreduction but cannot qualify as a predictor of survival.

Introduction: Complete tumor resection for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) generally incorporates complex surgical maneuvers, especially bowel resection. This study retrospectively analyzed the impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) on complexity of surgical procedures for EOC (represented by bowel resection) and postoperative morbidity. Methods: We retrospectively recruited all patients with Fédération Internationale de Gynécologie et d'Obstétrique (FIGO) stages IIIC-IVB EOC who were treated in our center between 2011 and 2016. Patients were divided into those who received primary debulking followed by chemotherapy (group A), and those who received NAC followed by interval debulking (group B). Patient age, tumor stage, grade, dates of commencement and completion of therapy, intraoperative events, completion of surgical resection, and postoperative events were evaluated. Results: Of 92 patients, 42 were assigned to group A and 50 to group B. Their FIGO stages were group A-stages IIIC: 34 (80.9%), IVA: 6 (14.3%), and IVB: 2 (4.8%); and group B-stages IIIC: 45 (90%), IVA: 5 (10%), and IVB: 0 (0%). The 2 groups did not significantly differ in completeness of surgical cytoreduction or rates of bowel resection, intraoperative complications, or postoperative morbidities. Conclusion: NAC did not reduce rates of bowel resection, intraoperative complications, and postoperative morbidity in advanced EOC compared with primary surgical cytoreduction. Future prospective studies will be required to corroborate our results.