Ovarian carcinoma—Perspective for the 70's

At the beginning of the 1970 decade, the outlook for patients who develop carcinoma of the ovary is almost as bleak as it has been in the past. Delayed diagnosis, a primary inherent tendency for ovarian cancer cells to exfoliate, and an inadequate response to surgical and radiation therapy have combined to relegate carcinoma of the ovary to the position of the killer of more adult women than any other type of female genital malignancy. The faint promise of improvement from chemotherapy has led to fragmentation of the administrative authority over treatment for the ovarian cancer patient with a shift to the medical oncologist. Currently, the patient with ovarian cancer is best served by a cooperative treatment plan which involves pathology, radiology, gynecology, and medical oncology. These objectives can best be accomplished by the recognition of an intraspecialty grouping identified as “gynecologic oncology.”