Ovarian cancer in older women

Abstract

Age-specific analysis reveals that the incidence of and mortality rate from ovarian cancer are continuously increasing in the elderly population. The incidence of ovarian cancer rises steadily with advancing age during adulthood and peaks in the seventh and eighth decades of life. The prognosis of elderly ovarian cancer patients is worse than that of their younger counterparts. It is the opinion of the authors that the majority of clinicians seem to be unprepared to treat elderly patients, and many data indicate that a great number of patients are undertreated due to the fear of unacceptable side effects, thus limiting their possibility of survival. Guidelines are clearly needed, including advice on whether to treat at all and whether standard surgery or chemotherapy are feasible in elderly patients with ovarian cancer. In this report, four basic aspects of ovarian cancer in the elderly will be focused on: the most important factors affecting prognosis, the safety of surgical treatment in older patients, optimal first- and second-line chemotherapy, and the use of supportive treatments to improve quality of life.