Surgery the first step in the treatment of stage III ovarian carcinoma

ABSTRACT

Fourty-two patients with primary malignant epithelial tumors of the ovary were studied, they were stage 3 because of the presence of omental deposits in 37 [88.1%], extra-pelvic intestinal involvement in 36 [85.4%], diaphragmatic metastasis in 22 [52.1%], para-aortic nodes in 14 [33.3%], other sites of spread were paracolic gutters in 13 [30.2%], anterior abdominal wall peritoneum in 7 [16.7%] and serosa of the liver in 2 [4.8%]. Operative treatment included complete excision in 10 [23.8%], debulking in 29 cases [69.7%] and biopsy only in 3 cases [7.1%]. Two patients died [4.8%] and postoperative morbidity was encountered in 14 [33.4%]. In 36 patients [90%] chemotherapy was started within two weeks after surgery, combination chemotherapy regimen included carboplatinum, farmrubicin and endoxan. The three years survival for the whole series was 35.7%, but there is proportional relationship between the three years survival and the magnitude of the surgical procedure