As compared with intravenous paclitaxel plus cisplatin, intravenous paclitaxel plus intraperitoneal cisplatin and paclitaxel improves survival in patients with optimally debulked stage III ovarian cancer.

The Multidimensional Impact of Cancer Risk Assessment (MICRA) is a new tool to measure the specific impact of result disclosure after genetic testing. The authors compared its performance with that of questionnaires measuring general and cancer-specific distress. Participants (158 women) responded 1 month after they received genetic test results. The women were divided into 4 standard clinical test result groups: BRCA1/2 positive, BRCA1/2 negative, panel negative, and true negative. Factor analysis supported the formation of 3 subscales: Distress (6 items, alpha = .86), Uncertainty (9 items, alpha = .77), and Positive Experiences (4 items, alpha = .75). All 3 MICRA subscales differentiated participants who were BRCA1/2 positive from the other 3 groups. MICRA thus helps identify subgroups of vulnerable genetic testing participants.

Ovarian cancer is a life-threatening diagnosis which poses multiple challenges. The purpose of this study is to describe the quality of life (QOL) concerns and survivorship sequelae of long-term (>5 yr) early-stage ovarian cancer survivors accrued through the clinical cooperative Gynecologic Oncology Group. Forty-nine ovarian cancer survivors with a mean age at diagnosis of 55.9 yr (range 30-76) completed a telephone interview assessing QOL, psychosocial status, sexual functioning and late-effects of treatment. Results indicate that this disease-free early-stage sample enjoys a good QOL, with physical, emotional, and social well-being comparable to other survivors and same-aged noncancer cohorts. However, 20% of survivors indicated the presence of long-term treatment side effects, with a subset reporting problems related to abdominal and gynecologic symptoms, and neurotoxicity. Spiritual well-being was significantly positively associated with personal growth and mental health, and negatively associated with a declining health status. Lingering psychological survivorship sequelae included fear of follow-up diagnostic tests and fear of recurrence. Forty-three percent of respondents expressed that they would likely participate in a counseling program today to discuss psychosocial issues raised by having had ovarian cancer, and 56% stated that they would have attended a support program during the initial treatment if it had been offered. This information provides some insight into the complex survivorship relationships between quality of life, long-term physical and sexual sequelae, and factors of resilience and growth which appear to promote a sense of well-being as a result of the cancer experience.

Despite the potential importance of family communication, little is known about the process and content of communicating BRCA1/2 test results to relatives. The objectives of this observational study were to describe the process and content of communicating BRCA1/2 test results to sisters, and to evaluate whether the proband's carrier status influenced communication outcomes. Participants were 43 women who were the first family member to have genetic testing (probands). Probands reported on communication outcomes for 81 sisters. Process and content variables were evaluated 1-month after receipt of BRCA1/2 test results using the Family Communication Questionnaire (FCQ). Overall, BRCA1/2 test results were communicated to 85% of sisters, and carriers communicated their results to significantly more sisters compared to uninformative (96% vs. 76%, FET = 0.02). The most important reason for communicating results was to provide genetic risk information; however, compared to uninformatives, carriers communicated their results to significantly more sisters to obtain emotional support (74%) and to get advice about medical decisions (42%) (FET = 0.001). Carriers also discussed the possibility of discrimination and recommendations for cancer management with significantly more sisters. Among sisters to whom BRCA1/2 test results were not communicated, the most important reason for not sharing test results was because of emotionally distant relationships. The results of this study suggest that probands are likely to quickly communicate their BRCA1/2 test results to relatives and that although needs for social support may motivate family communication, emotionally distant relationships may be a barrier to communication with relatives.

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