From the Section of Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
Author's disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Address reprint requests to Gini Fleming MD, Section of Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center, 5841 South Maryland Avenue, MC2115, Chicago, IL 60637; E-mail: gfleming{at}medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
Overview: Randomized trials have shown that radiation decreases the risk of local recurrence for high-risk stage I disease and that chemotherapy decreases the risk of recurrence for stage III disease. Trials exploring the use of chemotherapy in earlier stage disease are ongoing. Although chemotherapy is frequently used for stage I serous tumors, it remains unclear whether patients with well-staged stage I serous tumors have a higher risk than patients with stage I, grade 3 tumors. Chemotherapy may represent overtreatment for some patients, particularly patients with stage IA disease (e.g., confined to a polyp).