Does paraaortic lymphadenectomy have a benefit in the treatment of ovarian cancer that is apparently confined to the ovaries?
We conducted a retrospective review of all epithelial ovarian carcinoma patients with disease that is apparently confined to the ovaries who were treated in the Obstetric and Gynecologic Hospital of the University of Tours. In our hospital, no lymphadenectomies for such epithelial ovarian carcinoma patients are carried out. We studied the survival of these patients that were operated upon from 1 December 1975 until 1 August 1997. 43 epithelial ovarian carcinoma patients were studied; 22 were stage Ia, 1 was stage Ib and 20 were stage Ic. The average age was 58 years (range 27-86 years). 5% (2/43) developed recurrent disease and the rates of disease-free and overall survival after 5 years were 83% and 90.3% respectively. These results are very close to those described in literature for patients who underwent paraaortic and pelvic lymphadenectomy. As no series to date has demonstrated the benefit of paraaortic lymphadenectomy on survival and we know that paraaortic lymphadenectomy increases morbidity, we think it reasonable to propose surgery without lymphadenectomy for the treatment of early ovarian epithelial cancer patients whose disease is apparently confined to the ovaries.
de Poncheville
L
L
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, CHU, Hopital Bretonneau, 2 bd Tonnellé, 37044 cedex, Tours, France. loic.deponcheville@med.univ-tours.fr
Perrotin
F
F
Lefrancq
T
T
Lansac
J
J
Body
G
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000379:methods*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis