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Randomized trial of primary debulking surgery versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (SCORPION-NCT01461850)
  1. Anna Fagotti1,2,
  2. Maria Gabriella Ferrandina1,2,
  3. Giuseppe Vizzielli1,
  4. Tina Pasciuto3,
  5. Francesco Fanfani1,2,
  6. Valerio Gallotta1,
  7. Pasquale Alessandro Margariti1,
  8. Vito Chiantera4,5,
  9. Barbara Costantini1,
  10. S. Gueli Alletti1,
  11. Francesco Cosentino6 and
  12. Giovanni Scambia1,2
  1. 1Woman, Child and Public Health Department, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
  2. 2Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Sede di Roma, Roma, Italy
  3. 3Statistics Technology Archiving Research (STAR) Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Roma, Italy
  4. 4Department of Gynecologic Oncology, ARNAS Civico Di Cristina Benfratelli, Palermo, Italy
  5. 5Gynecologic Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
  6. 6Gynecologic Oncology, Gemelli Molise spa, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Campobasso, Italy
  1. Correspondence to Anna Fagotti, Woman, Child and Public Health Department, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS, Roma 8 00168, Italy; annafagotti70{at}gmail.com

Abstract

Objective To investigate whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery is superior to primary debulking surgery in terms of perioperative complications and progression-free survival, in advanced epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer patients with high tumor load.

Methods Patients with advanced epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer (stage IIIC-IV) underwent laparoscopy. Patients with high tumor load assessed by a standardized laparoscopic predictive index were randomly assigned (1:1 ratio) to undergo either primary debulking surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (arm A), or neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy (arm B). Co-primary outcome measures were progression-free survival and post-operative complications; secondary outcomes were overall survival, and quality of life. Survival analyses were performed on an intention-to-treat population.

Results 171 patients were randomly assigned to primary debulking surgery (n=84) versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy (n=87). Rates of complete resection (R0) were different between the arms (47.6% in arm A vs 77.0% in arm B; p=0.001). 53 major postoperative complications were registered, mainly distributed in arm A compared with arm B (25.9% vs 7.6%; p=0.0001). All patients were included in the intent-to-treat analysis. With an overall median follow-up of 59 months (95% CI 53 to 64), 142 (83.0%) disease progressions/recurrences and 103 deaths (60.2%) occurred. Median progression-free and overall survival were 15 and 41 months for patients assigned to primary debulking surgery, compared with 14 and 43 months for patients assigned to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, respectively (HR 1.05, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.44, p=0.73; HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.65, p=0.56).

Conclusions Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and primary debulking surgery have the same efficacy when used at their maximal possibilities, but the toxicity profile is different.

  • ovarian cancer
  • peritoneal neoplasms
  • postoperative complications
  • surgical procedures
  • operative

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Footnotes

  • Twitter @annafagottimd

  • Contributors The first author wrote the initial draft of the manuscript. All the authors contributed to subsequent revisions of the draft, agreed to submit the manuscript for publication, and vouch for the accuracy and completeness of the data and analyses, and for the fidelity of the trial to the protocol.

  • Funding This work was supported by Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS, Rome, Italy (nr 5750827).

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Patient consent for publication Obtained.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

  • Data availability statement Data have been collected prospectively on RedCap-based CRF. Data are available at the URL https://redcap-irccs.policlinicogemelli.it/. Only people officially authorized from the principal investigator can access data. The request should be addressed by email at anna.fagotti@policlinicogemelli.it or giovanni.scambia@policlinicogemelli.it.

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