Melamed A, Rauh-Hain A, Gockley AA, et al. - Researchers sought to determine if differences in overall survival in patients with advanced ovarian cancer are due to the differential adoption of neoadjuvant chemotherapy by US cancer centers for treatment.

• Researchers conducted a difference-in-differences comparative effectiveness research study including 39,299 patients treated in 664 cancer programs.

• Among included patients, 19,562 patients received treatment in 332 cancer programs, in which use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy increased from 21.7% in 2004 to 2009 to 42.2% in 2010 to 2015, and 19,737 patients received treatment in 332 programs that marginally raised use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (20.1% to 22.5%) over these periods.

• Outcomes revealed greater improvements in short-term mortality and equivalent gains in median overall survival among patients treated in programs that markedly increased administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy when compared with patients who received treatment in programs that continued to use the treatment infrequently.

• Findings suggest that for many patients with advanced-stage ovarian cancer, neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be an appropriate first-line therapeutic strategy.