Ranked importance of outcomes of first-line versus repeated chemotherapy among ovarian cancer patients

Purpose To examine the importance of possible outcomes of first-line versus repeated chemotherapy to ovarian cancer patients and to compare doctors' treatment intentions with patients' beliefs about cure. Methods Women with newly diagnosed (74) or relapsed (48) ovarian cancer were prospectively followed over 2 years. The level of importance they ascribed to four chemotherapy outcomes and their beliefs about cure were assessed. Their doctors independently specified intent of successive treatments. Results Approximately half (54%) of newly diagnosed ovarian cancer patients (65% with residual disease >2 cm and 49% with no or ≤2 cm residual disease) ranked ‘tumour shrinkage (or decrease in blood levels of CA125)’ as ‘most important’ during first-line chemotherapy. Approximately two thirds (65–70%) of all women whose disease had relapsed also ranked ‘tumour shrinkage’ as ‘most important’ during repeated chemotherapy. Few women (