Effect of introduction of paclitaxel on survival among women with stage III and IV ovarian cancer

Abstract

5536 Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate survival over time in relation to FDA approval of paclitaxel (P) for second- and first-line treatment in a population-based cohort of women with stage III and de novo stage IV ovarian cancer. Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program was searched to identify 8,267 and 10,746 women with stage III and stage IV epithelial ovarian cancer diagnosed between 1988–2004. Women were divided according to their year of diagnosis and year of FDA approval of P for second- (1992) and first-line(1998) treatment of ovarian cancer: Group1 (1988–1991; before P approval); Group2 (1992–1997; P approved for second-line); Group3 (1998–2003; P approved for first-line). Overall (OS) and ovarian-cancer-specific survival (OCS) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier product method and compared across groups with log rank statistic. Cox-proportional hazards models were fitted to determine the association of group year of diagnosis and survival after adjusting for patient/tumor characteristics. Results: Median age was 66 years. Median OCS was 44 and 18 months among women with stages III and IV disease, respectively. With stage III disease, 2-year OCS was 64%, 68%, and 70% for groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (p < 0.0001). With stage IV disease, 2-year OCS was 39%, 41%, and 42% for groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (p = 0.19). In the multivariable model for stage III disease, women in group 1 (HR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.2–1.5, p < 0.0001) and group 2 (HR = 1.2, 95% CI 1.1–1.3, p = 0.0003) had an increased hazard of ovarian-cancer-specific death vs. group 3. For stage IV disease, women in group 1 (HR = 1.2, 95% CI 1.12–1.3, p < 0.0001) had a significantly increased hazard of ovarian cancer-specific death, but no significant difference in group 2 (HR = 1.0, 95% CI 0.9–1.1, p = 0.88) vs. group 3. Similar trends were observed for OS. Conclusions: The survival of women with stages III and IV ovarian cancer has significantly improved with the introduction of P over the last two decades. However, the incremental improvement in survival with stage IV disease is clinically minimal and indeed not significant in the univariable analysis in the SEER patient cohort analyzed, suggesting a desperate need for new and more active drugs in these patients. No significant financial relationships to disclose.