Is there place for radiotherapy in the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer?

Background and purpose: Irradiation of advanced ovarian cancer has been per formed during the years 1976-1984 with six-held technique. Results of this treatment in a long follow-up have never before been evaluated. Material and methods: Seventy-five patients with stage IIb-IV of invasive o varian cancer have been treated with a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The results of the treatment were compared with 98 patie nts treated during the year 1991-1992 with surgery and chemotherapy only. Results: After controlling for the differences in background factors betwee n the groups considered, there was still a significantly better survival ra te for the patients treated with radiotherapy. Conclusion: The results suggest that the role of radiotherapy in advanced o varian cancer should be investigated in a prospective randomized trial. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.