Poor outcome of elderly patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer: Results from the SOCRATES retrospective study

Abstract Background Elderly patients with ovarian carcinoma have a poorer prognosis compared with their younger counterpart, and this depends in most cases on undertreatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate, retrospectively, the pattern of care and the prognosis of elderly patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer. The SOCRATES study retrospectively assessed the pattern of care of a cohort of patients with recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer observed in the years 2000–2002 in 37 Italian centres. Data were collected between April and September 2005. Patients and methods Patients with recurrent ovarian cancer with >6 months of platinum free interval were considered eligible. Four-hundred-ninety-three patient files were collected and 425 were considered eligible and analyzed. Ninety-four patients with age ≥70 years and 331 patients with age 1 vs. 1), performance status at recurrence (2–3 vs. 0–1), RFI (6–12 months vs. >12 months), age at recurrence, were independently associated with survival. Conclusion Elderly patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer receive less surgery and chemotherapy. Response to chemotherapy is better in younger patients. Age is an unfavourable factor independently associated to a worst prognosis.