Dr. Barber on Surgical Readmission and Survival in Ovarian Cancer

Emma Barber, MD, UNC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UNC School of Medicine, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses surgical readmission and survival in patients with ovarian cancer.

There has been a big push to decrease readmissions to hospitals for patients due to the Affordable Care Act, explains Barber. This is challenging for patients with ovarian cancer due to the difference between short-term and long-term morbidity.

Aggressive surgery for these patients is associated with more complications but long-term outcomes. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been shown to decrease surgical morbidity, lowering the complication rates and risk of death.