Feasibility of secondary cytoreductive surgery for recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer

ABSTRACT

To determine the feasibility of secondary cytoreductive surgery in patients who present with recurrent epithelial ovarian tumors. Design: Retrospective and prospective. Place and Duration of Study Gynaecology Unit II of Jinnah Hospital Lahore. Study period extended from July, 1996 to March, 1998. Materials and A total number of 21 patients, who had undergone initial optimal cytoreductive surgery and combination chemotherapy but had relapsed after a disease-free interval of 6 months or greater, were included. All patients were subjected to secondary cytoreductive surgery. Optimal secondary cytoreduction was possible in 8 [38.09%] patients. 11[52.38%] patients had suboptimal cytoreduction, while 2 [9.52%] were inoperable. The intraoperative morbidity showed injury to the intestine occurred in 3[14.28%] of the patients, severe hemorrhage in 4[19.05%] and visceral perforation in 2[9.52%] patients. There was no operative mortality. Secondary cytoreductive surgery for recurrent epithelial ovarian cancers is a feasible approach but is associated with significant morbidity. Further studies with larger number of patients are needed to clearly define the role of secondary cytoreduction in recurrent epithelial cancer