Abstract: Ovarian cancer is one of the three most common malignant tumors of female reproductive system. Because the ovary is located in the deep of pelvic cavity, and the onset of ovarian cancer is insidious, about 70%-75% of patients have reached the advanced stage when they have clinical symptoms, with the 5-year survival rate being less than 40%. Currently, the main treatment methods for ovarian cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and biological immunotherapy. To improve the success rate of reducing and removing tumor cells of advanced ovarian cancer (AOC), the pelvic abdominal lymph nodes and metastasis are also cleanout in conventional surgery, besides removing uterus and annex. The surgical injury and complications are foreseeable. Therefore, 2-3 courses of neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgery can be firstly administrated in those patients with poor general condition and many complications, patients with AOC at the stageⅢ C and Ⅳ confirmed by cytology, patients with the poor reduction rate of tumor cells underwent first conventional surgery, and those patients who are unsuited for immediate surgery due to their poor health condition. However, there is not a consensus on the application of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the patients with AOC. In this review, we discuss the research progress of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and its clinical practice in patients with AOC.

Key words: Ovarian neoplasms, Chemoradiotherapy, adjuvant, Cytoreduction surgical procedures, Prognosis, Advanced ovarian cancer, Neoadjuvant chemotherapy