Analysis of Treatment Failures and Survival of Patients with Fallopian Tube Carcinoma: A Cooperation Task Force (CTF) Study

• Published in: Gynecologic oncology 2001-05, Vol.81 (2), p.150-159
• Main Authors: Gadducci, Angiolo, Landoni, Fabio, Sartori, Enrico, Maggino, Tiziano, Zola, Paolo, Gabriele, Antonio, Rossi, Rita, Cosio, Stefania, Fanucchi, Antonio, Tisi, Giancarlo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - administration & dosage; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinoma - pathology; Carcinoma - surgery; Carcinoma - therapy; chemotherapy; Cisplatin - administration & dosage; Combined Modality Therapy; Cyclophosphamide - administration & dosage; Doxorubicin - administration & dosage; Epirubicin - administration & dosage; fallopian tube carcinoma; Fallopian Tube Neoplasms - pathology; Fallopian Tube Neoplasms - surgery; Fallopian Tube Neoplasms - therapy; Female; Female genital diseases; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Hysterectomy; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Ovariectomy; prognosis; recurrence; Reoperation; Retrospective Studies; Salpingostomy; surgery; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the genital tract and mammary gland; Survival Rate; Treatment Failure; Tumors
• ISSN: 0090-8258; 1095-6859
• DOI: 10.1006/gyno.2001.6134

Objective. The objective of this retrospective multicenter study was to assess the pattern of failures and survival of patients with primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube. Methods. The hospital records of 88 patients with primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube were reviewed. Surgery was the initial therapy for all patients. Tumor stage was I in 21 (23.9%), II in 21 (23.9%), III in 43 (48.8%), and IV in 3 (3.4%) patients. Postoperative treatment was given without well-defined protocols. The median follow-up of survivors was 55 months (range, 7–182). Results. Of the 21 patients with stage I disease, 10 had no postoperative treatment and 11 had platinum-based chemotherapy. Five (23.8%) patients recurred after a median of 29 months (range, 8–93) from initial surgery. Of the 21 patients with stage II disease, 2 had no postoperative treatment, 2 underwent external pelvic irradiation, 16 received platinum-based chemotherapy, and 1 patient had oral melphalan. Eight (38.1%) patients recurred after a median of 25.5 months (range, 7–57). Of the 46 patients with stage III–IV disease, 1 patient refused chemotherapy and died after 19 months and 45 patients received platinum-based chemotherapy. A clinical complete response was obtained in 29 (64.4%) patients and a partial response in 8 (17.8%). A second-look laparotomy was performed in 14 of the 29 clinically complete responders: 12 patients were found to be in pathological complete response and 2 had persistent disease. Six (50.0%) of the former recurred after a median of 22 months (range, 13–101) from initial surgery. The two patients with persistent disease developed tumor progression after 15 and 11 months, respectively. Fifteen clinically complete responders did not undergo second-look, and 7 (46.7%) of them had a recurrence after a median of 18 months (range, 9–41). For the whole series, 5-year survival was 57%. By log-rank test, survival was related to FIGO stage (III–IV vs I–II, P = 0.0001), tumor grade (G3 vs G1 + G2, P = 0.0038), and patient age (>58.5 years vs