Long-term follow-up was obtained on 726 women with advanced ovarian carcinoma (suboptimal stage III and stage IV) who had received primary chemotherapy on two Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) protocols between 1976 and 1982. The first study compared melphalan alone versus melphalan plus hexamethylmelamine versus cyclophosphamide plus doxorubicin (CA). The second study evaluated the same CA regimen with or without cisplatin. Eligibility for the two studies was the same. At last contact, 76 patients were alive. In a multivariate analysis, cell type other than clear cell or mucinous, cisplatin-based treatment, good performance status, younger age, lower stage, clinically nonmeasurable disease, smaller residual tumor volume, and absence of ascites were favorable characteristics for overall survival (P less than .05). Second-look laparotomy was negative significantly more often among those with endometrioid tumors; there were no negative second-look laparotomies among those with mucinous or clear cell tumors. There were 30 patients with suboptimal stage III disease who had a negative second-look laparotomy; 18 (60%) have experienced recurrence, and 13 (43%) have died. Although cisplatin treatment was beneficial, new treatments are clearly needed.