title: Second-look laparotomy; factors affecting the results and the prognosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To define the factors which might effect the results of second-look laparotomy (SLL) and the prognosis of patients with negative SLL.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen (42.4%) of the 33 patients who underwent SLL for primary epithelial ovarian cancer had residual disease (positive SLL), while 19 (57.6%) of them had no evidence of disease (negative SLL); 13 (68.4%) of the 19 patients who were followed without any intervention, still had no evidence of disease, while 6 (31.6%) of them had clinical recurrences. The age of the patients, histopathological type, stage and grade of the cancers, type of chemotherapy and the effectiveness of the cytoreductive surgery were presumed as prognosticators and were compared in each group of patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The age of the patients, histopathological type of the carcinomas and the type of combined chemotherapy were similar in patients with negative or positive SLL and those with recurrences or no evidence of disease during the follow-up after negative SLL (p>0.05). However, the groups of patients with negative SLL and those with no evidence of disease during the follow-up period had lower grade or stage of cancers and less frequent sub-optimal cytoreduction than the groups of patients with positive SLL and those with recurrences during the follow-up, respectively (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SLL could be selectively performed in patients with high grade or high stage ovarian carcinoma or in those patients treated by sub-optimal cytoreduction.
authors.affiliation: Osmangazi University School of Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Eskisehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozalp
authors.forename: O T
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Yalcin
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dundar
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hassa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yildirim
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Okur
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007813:Laparotomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011379:Prognosis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012074:Remission Induction; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors