title: The place of bowel resection in initial debulking surgery for advanced ovarian cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy and morbidity associated with bowel resection at the initial debulking procedure for patients with advanced ovarian cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective medical record and computerised database review.
  
  
  METHODS
  John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, New South Wales.
  
  
  METHODS
  All women with FIGO stage III or IV epithelial ovarian cancer and with adequate case note documentation who underwent bowel resection as part of their primary debulking surgery at the John Hunter Hospital from 1991 to July 2000.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cumulative overall and disease free survival, optimal (residual disease < 1 cm) versus suboptimal cytoreduction and short (< 6 weeks) and long-term postoperative morbidity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the optimally debulked patients the two and five-year overall and disease free survival rates were 49%, 30%, 19% and 8.9% respectively. The two-year overall survival rate for the suboptimally debulked patients was 20%. The major short-term morbidity rate was 17.6%. Long-term morbidity occurred in 10 of 51 patients; however, not all morbidity was surgery related.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cytoreductive surgery, including bowel resection, appears indicated in the treatment of patients with advanced ovarian cancer. The surgical morbidity rate from these procedures appears acceptable.
authors.affiliation: Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer, Royal Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Proietto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D013509:Gynecologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D016879:Salvage Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome