The treatment oi ovarian cancer has evolved over the past two decades from
one of palliation to one where patients can achieve prolonged remission and
cure. Although prognosis remains poor. It has improved with the interventi
on of a multidisciplinary team and greater site specialization in the organ
ization of cancer services. The introduction of new chemo-therapy agents bo
th as first line treatment and on relapse has had a benefit in terms or ove
rall survival and progression-free survival. In this review we describe fir
st-line therapy, including the use of intraperitoneal chemotherapy, the imp
ortance of dose and dose intensity in platinum agents and the treatment of
refractory and relapsed disease. Finally the review focuses on important pr
ognostic factors and how these can be used to predict outcome. (C) 2001 Har
court Publishers Ltd.