End-results in the treatment of ovarian carcinoma with surgery and deep x-ray irradiation.

The five-year survival rate for primary ovarian carcinoma has been fairly constant. This is due to the insidious onset of the disease and the lack of characteristic or alerting symptoms. By far the most common complaint on the part of the sufferer is enlargement of the abdomen or a mass arising in the lower pelvis. Other symptoms, such as leukorrhea, vaginal bleeding, or pressure signs are usually disregarded by the victim, and as a result patient delay is the primary reason for poor end-results. Recognizing this fact in the treatment of those patients who were admitted to our service at the Mercy Hospital Institute of Radiation Therapy (Chicago), we have endeavored to analyze a group of 143 cases, 113 of which were treated initially by the senior author (H. E. S.). These cases have been observed for at least five years following therapy. Contact was lost with 13 of the patients and we have been unable to obtain information as to their progress. They are therefore counted as deceased in the final tabulati...