Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2009 ASCO Annual Meeting Proceedings (Post-Meeting Edition).
Vol 27, No 15S (May 20 Supplement), 2009: 5511
© 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology

This Article Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Download to citation manager Rights & Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Dodge, J. E. Articles by Freedman, O. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Dodge, J. E. Articles by Freedman, O.

Abstract

What is the optimal strategy to confirm the diagnosis of epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC)?

Princess Margaret Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

5511

Background: NAC has been increasingly utilized in clinical practice yet no standard diagnostic strategy has been defined for EOC prior to the administration of NAC. We reviewed the diagnostic process for patients receiving NAC at our centre to determine if an optimal diagnostic strategy could be determined. Methods: A retrospective chart review of all patients known to receive NAC followed by cytoreductive surgery for presumed EOC between 1994 and 2007 was performed. Diagnostic strategies were defined as histology, cytology, and clinical. Performance of these strategies in predicting final pathology, based on expert pathology review of surgery specimens, was compared using Fisher's exact test. Results: 152 patients were included. Initial diagnosis was made on the basis of: cytology (paracentesis/thoracentesis)- 89 (59%); percutaneous biopsy- 40 (26%), radiology and CA-125–18 (12%), surgical biopsy -5 (3%). The final diagnosis was consistent with invasive EOC in 145 patients (95%). The remaining 7 were ovarian LMP (4), ovarian carcinosarcoma (1), endometrial serous cancer (1), and GI tumor (1). The diagnostic accuracies of the 3 strategies differed: histology (43/45), cytology (87/89), and clinical (15/18), p = 0.039. 17% of patients had an alternate final diagnosis when clinical parameters were the only basis for the diagnosis of EOC prior to NAC. A specific EOC subtype was identified pre-op in 82 patients (histology-31 cases, cytology-51 cases). Subtype differed between pre- and post-treatment samples in 13% of histology and 8% of cytology cases. Conclusions: Diagnosis of EOC based on cytology or histology-based strategies are superior to clinical factors alone. Even in a centre with trained gynecologic cytopathologists, cytology and biopsy strategies preclude accurate subtype diagnosis in a significant number of patients. These data are important for clinical practice and the design of future clinical trials.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Abstract presentation from the 2009 ASCO Annual Meeting