Introduction/Background*This systematic literature review evaluated the relationship between progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in adult patients with ovarian cancer following primary debulking or interval debulking surgery.

Methodology MEDLINE^®, Embase^® and Cochrane Central were searched between 1 January 2011 and 7 July 2020 to identify eligible clinical trials or observational studies conducted in the target population. Gray literature, bibliographies and conference proceedings were also searched. Weighted linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between PFS and OS in patients with ovarian cancer by residual disease (RD) status.

Result(s)*Forty-seven observational studies and three randomized controlled trials were eligible for inclusion, with sample size ranging between 203 and 8,652 patients. There was a strong positive association between PFS and OS, irrespective of RD status (median OS = 4.49 + [2.27 x median PFS]; adjusted R² = 0.84). Similarly, there was a strong positive association between the log hazard ratios (logHR) for PFS and OS (logHR OS = 0.03 + [1.01 x logHR PFS]); adjusted R² = 0.86) across RD categories.

Conclusion*Among patients with ovarian cancer who had received frontline treatment (primary debulking or interval debulking surgery), there is a positive correlation between PFS and OS. This meta-analysis expands on the growing body of evidence showing that ovarian cancer treatments effective in delaying disease progression can meaningfully extend OS.