In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez is joined by Dr. Lauren Prescott to discuss the impact of transfusions on outcomes in ovarian cancer. Dr. Prescott received her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and went on study at the National Institutes of Health for two years. She then completed medical school at Georgetown University, residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, and fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She has been at Vanderbilt University since 2017. Dr. Prescott's research interests include measuring and evaluating surgical and oncologic outcomes and improving the quality of health care delivery through implementation of evidence-based medicine. Dr. Prescott leads the Vanderbilt Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Program for patients undergoing gynecologic surgery.

Highlights:

- Perioperative blood transfusions in ovarian cancer is common with 53% of patients in our study having received a transfusion

- Blood transfusions were not associated with negative impact on progression-free survival or overall survival

- However, blood transfusions were associated with increased peri-operative morbidity without improvements in quality of life