Women with ovarian cancer are less likely to die from their disease if they are treated by specialist gynecological oncologists than if they are cared for by general gynecologists, according to the results of a study carried out in Scotland, UK, and reported at this week's 16th International Meeting of the European Society of Gynecological Oncology (ESGO) in Belgrade, Serbia.
An analysis of survival data from a cohort of 912 ovarian cancer patients treated in the West of Scotland Managed Clinical Network showed a 24% lower risk of death in women treated by gynecological oncologists who specialize in the treatment of gynecological cancer than by general gynecologists who treat the full range of gynecological problems that women can experience.
Reporting her findings at a late breaker session of the congress, Dr Alex Stirling, from the West of Scotland Cancer Surveillance Unit, explained that recent reorganization of cancer services in Scotland was designed to provide equal standards of care for patients wherever they lived. However, some women continue to be treated away from larger cancer centers, and do not therefore have access to gynecological oncologists.
Dr Stirling added that, by the end of the year, cancer services in the area will be centralized, and selection of cases for surgery will be decided by a specialist multidisciplinary team - hopefully helping to reduce remaining inequalities of care and ensuring that more difficult cases are treated by gynecological oncologists.
Source
European Society of Gynecological Oncology
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