The safety and efficacy of laparoscopic surgical staging of apparent stage I ovarian and fallopian tube cancers.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic staging of ovarian or fallopian tube cancers to staging via laparotomy for epithelial ovarian carcinoma.


METHODS
We performed a case-control study of all patients with apparent stage I adnexal cancers who had laparoscopic staging from October 2000 to March 2003. The control group consisted of all patients with apparent stage I epithelial ovarian carcinoma who had staging via laparotomy during the same time period.


RESULTS
Staging was laparoscopic in 20 patients and via laparotomy in 30. There were no differences in mean age and body mass index. There were also no differences in omental specimen size and number of lymph nodes removed. Estimated blood loss and hospital stay were lower for laparoscopy, but operating time was longer. There were no conversions to laparotomy or complications in the laparoscopic group, compared with 3 minor complications in the laparotomy group.


CONCLUSIONS
In this preliminary analysis, it appears that patients with apparent stage I ovarian or fallopian tube cancer can safely and adequately undergo laparoscopic surgical staging.
Chi
Dennis S
DS
Gynecology Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA. gynbreast@mskcc.org
Abu-Rustum
Nadeem R
NR
Sonoda
Yukio
Y
Ivy
Joseph
J
Rhee
Eunice
E
Moore
Kathleen
K
Levine
Douglas A
DA
Barakat
Richard R
RR
D000328:Adult; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005185:Fallopian Tube Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000592:standards; D007813:Laparotomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D007902:Length of Stay; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods*; D009852:Omentum / Q000473:pathology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*