Chemotherapeutic Sensitivity of Minimal Residual Disease Following Surgical Excision of Ovarian Carcinoma

Abstract

Between mid-1974 and mid-1977, we simultaneously studied 82 patients with advanced evaluable ovarian carcinoma and 29 patients with minimal residual disease. These were randomized to receive either 1000 mg/m₂ of cyclophosphamide or 500 mg/m₂ of cyclophosphamide plus 40 mg/m₂ of adriamycin intravenously every 3–4 weeks. Our intent was to administer chemotherapy at 3-week intervals in the advanced cases and at 4-week intervals in the minimal residual cases. All patients in each of these studies had histologically proved epithelial-type ovarian carcinoma and all had adequate renal, hepatic, and bone marrow function as indicated by serum creatinine less than 1.5 mg/dl, the absence of direct reacting serum bilirubin, leukocyte counts greater than 4100/μ1, and platelet counts greater than 130,000/μ1. No bedridden cases or patients with active cardiac disease cases were accepted in either randomization, and the minimal residual disease cases were required to be fully ambulatory and could not have received any previous antitumor chemotherapy or radiotherapy.