Prognostic significance of hemoglobin levels in patients with primary epithelial ovarian carcinoma undergoing platinumbased chemotherapy

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of hemoglobin (Hb) levels before and throughout the course of platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with primary epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Medical records of patients who had undergone initial surgery followed by platinum-based chemotherapy for EOC were retrospectively studied. Univariate and Cox-regression models were used to evaluate the prognostic impact of various factors including Hb levels before and throughout chemotherapy in terms of overall survival. Additionally, sensitivity/specificity were calculated using receiver operating curves (ROCs) and Kaplan-Meier studies were used to determine optimal cut-off levels. The median duration of follow-up was 37.0 months. Degree of anemia before starting chemotherapy was significantly related to overall survival (p = 0.001), but the Hb level throughout chemotherapy demonstrated only a borderline relationship (p = 0.062). Only residual tumor after surgery and degree of anemia before starting chemotherapy proved to be independent prognostic factors (p = 0.013 and 0.015, respectively). With sensitivity/specificity and Kaplan-Meier analyses, a Hb level before starting chemotherapy of less than 10.5 g/dl was related to shorter overall survival (p = 0.002). In conclusion, pre-chemotherapy Hb level has a prognostic impact on overall survival in patients with EOC candidate to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. However, the significance of decreased Hb levels during chemotherapy needs to be clarified in further prospective studies to determine optimal Hb levels for achieving a favorable outcome.