Effectiveness and Safety of Standard Chemotherapy in Older Patients With Ovarian Cancer: A Retrospective Analysis by Age Group and Treatment Regimen

This retrospective study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of standard chemotherapy in 956 patients with advanced ovarian cancer, specifically comparing outcomes in those over 70 years old (233 patients) to those under 70 (723 patients). It was found that older patients treated with a weekly chemotherapy regimen (PC-1W) had significantly longer median overall survival (OS) of 57.17 months and median progression-free survival (PFS) of 19.09 months, compared to those on a three-weekly regimen (PC-3W), who had median PFS of 8.15 months and OS of 30.00 months. Despite higher rates of hematological toxicities, the weekly regimen was better tolerated, with more patients completing the full course of treatment. The study concludes that older patients can benefit from standard chemotherapy, particularly with the weekly PC-1W regimen, without significant differences in survival between septuagenarians and octogenarians.