Some of themost significant advances in ovarian cancer treatment have been those that result in improvements in progression-free\nsurvival (PFS); however there is little research to understand the value that patients place on accessing therapies that result in PFS\nas a clinical outcome related to survivorship. This study therefore aimed to understand the experience and expectations of women\nwith ovarian cancer in Australia in relation to quality of life (QoL) and treatment options. An online survey collected demographic\ninformation and 13 investigator-derived structured interview questions were developed to understand the experience of women\nwith ovarian cancer, their understanding of terminology associated with their condition, and expectations of future treatment. This\nstudy demonstrated that ovarian cancer patients equate PFS with being in remission and that patients expect QoL during that time\nto be good to excellent.Women in this study described excellent QoL as feeling positive and happy and not worrying about cancer,\nfeeling fit and healthy without side effects, and being able to live life as they did before their diagnosis, including the absence of\nfear of progression or recurrence. It is therefore suggested that there is a positive relationship between PFS and QoL. While it is\ndifficult to quantify QoL and further research is needed, the results of this study suggest that the minimum time that women with\novarian cancer expect in relation to treatments that result in PFS is approximately six months. In the absence of this information,\ndecision-makers are left to make assumptions about the value women place on access to therapeutics that increase PFS, which for\nthis type of cancer is an important aspect of survivorship.
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