Radiation therapy is a treatment to be considered for recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer after chemotherapy.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND Radiation therapy provides a safe and effective alternative treatment option for recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer, although it has not been a treatment of choice. We evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of radiation therapy for recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer after chemotherapy according to the disease status. METHODS This was a retrospective study of 38 patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer treated with radiation therapy at the Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, between January 1997 and December 2007. We analyzed their clinical characteristics and the outcome of radiation therapy. RESULTS Thirty-eight patients were treated with radiation therapy. Their median age was 51.5 years. Most patients were FIGO stage III (27/38) with serous adenocarcinoma (26/38). All patients had received at least one regimen of platinum-based chemotherapy; 24 patients were sensitive to the first chemotherapy and the others were resistant. Lymph node and abdominopelvic wall were the most common sites of radiation therapy. The response rate was 65.0% (16 complete remissions and 10 partial remissions), and the median regression rate was 78.8% (range, -66.6 to 100.0). Median progression-free survival was 7.2 months (range, 1.0-66.6). In 28 patients who had a solitary relapsed site from the radiographic finding at the time of radiation therapy, it was 10.7 months (range, 1.8-66.6). Neither hematologic nor intestinal toxicity of grade 3-4 was observed. Prognostic factors were sensitivity to platinum and the site treated with radiation therapy. CONCLUSIONS Radiation therapy is a treatment that should be considered for recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer, especially in good responders to platinum or patients with solitary relapsed lesions.