Primary epithelial ovarian carcinoma in Taiwanese women

Purpose of investigation: Primary epithelial ovarian carcinoma is common in industrial countries but rare in the Orient. In fact, it is still a rare disease in Taiwan. In this article, we report the general data of Taiwanese patients with primary epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Methods: In this retrospective study we used univariate and multivariate analysis models: to analyze the prognosis of patients with surgically confirmed primary epithelial ovarian carcinoma. One hundred and ninety-four patients from 1990 to 1996 were identified and enrolled in this study. Results: The mean follow-up time was 44.7 months with an interval between 15.1 months and 105.9 months. Univariate analysis showed postmenopausal status, advanced stage, presence of lymph node metastasis, poor differentiation, and suboptimal surgery as risk factors for disease recurrence and subsequent deaths. Multivariate analysis demonstrated stage as the most important factor correlated with recurrent disease (risk ratio: 7.303 and 5.409, respectively), followed by optimal surgery (RR: 2.447), and cellular differentiation (RR: 1.677). Conclusions: Our data on the Taiwan population were consistent with other reports of different races. Early detection for primary epithelial ovarian cancer is of great importance because stage is still the most important predictor in disease-free survival and disease-related deaths. Application of the most reliable and acceptable methods of screening is our goal in the next century after weighing benefits over cents.