A new study reveals that a collaborative surgical approach to the treatment of ovarian cancer patients can significantly increase survival rates.
According to new research conducted by a team at the Mater University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, patients with ovarian cancer are 70% less likely to die three years later if a multidisciplinary surgical care plan is deployed.
The study, led by Professor Donal Brennan, Consultant Gynaecological Oncologist at the Mater and Professor of Gynaecological Oncology at UCD School of Medicine, has yielded promising results that could revolutionise the treatment of this complex disease.
Published in Annals of Surgical Oncology, it analysed the outcomes of more than 300 ovarian cancer patients treated between two distinct periods – from 2006 to 2015 and 2017 to 2021.
What set the latter group apart was the adoption of an innovative, collaborative approach to ovarian cancer surgery, bringing together various surgical disciplines to perform operations aimed at removing all visible tumours from the abdominal area.
Under the new multidisciplinary approach, the death rate for patients with advanced ovarian cancer plummeted from 64.5% to just 24%.
Three years after surgery, the rate of cancer progression in the earlier group (2006 to 2015) was a staggering 75%, while in the latter group (2017 to 2021), it dropped to less than 50%.
Professor Brennan, the senior author of the study, emphasised the importance of centralised, specialised oncology centres, like the Mater, in managing ovarian cancer.
He stated: ‘Ovarian cancer is a complicated disease that requires input from multiple specialties including medical oncology, pathology, radiology, and surgery.’
This collaborative approach allows a wide range of specialists to carefully plan the removal of diseased tissue and subsequent treatment, significantly improving the prognosis for patients.
Jürgen Mulsow, Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon at the Mater, highlighted the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in advanced cancer care.
‘This collaboration ensures that patients receive integrated medical care from the moment of consideration of surgery to full recovery and has helped us to improve both peri-operative and long-term outcomes,’ he said.
Ovarian cancer is one of the most common types of cancer among women in Ireland and ranks as the seventh most prevalent female cancer worldwide. It often presents at an advanced stage due to a lack of symptom awareness. Early signs may include feeling constantly bloated, a swollen tummy, discomfort in the tummy or pelvic area, loss of appetite, and increased frequency of urination.
The results further support the growing body of international evidence highlighting the benefits of a multidisciplinary surgical approach in centralising specialised oncology centres, such as the Mater, to improve patient outcomes in the fight against ovarian cancer.
