title: Is there any association between retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy and survival benefit in advanced stage epithelial ovarian carcinoma patients?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The effect of systematic retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy (SRL) remains controversial in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (aEOC) who are optimally debulked.
  
  
  METHODS
  Demographic and clinicopathologic data were obtained from the Tokai Ovarian Tumor Study Group between 1986 and 2009. All patients were divided into two groups. Group A (n = 93): (i) patients did not undergo SRL; and (ii) lymph node exploration or sampling was optional. Group B (n = 87): patients underwent SRL. Survival curves were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Differences in survival rates were analyzed using the log-rank test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All pT3-4 aEOC patients were optimally debulked (residual tumor <1 cm). The median age was 55 years (range: 18-84). The 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates of groups A and B were 46.7 and 41.9%, respectively (P = 0.658). In addition, the 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 62.9 and 59.0%, respectively (P = 0.853). Subsequently, there was no significant difference in OS and PFS in the two groups stratified to histological type (serous or non-serous type). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in recurrence rates in retroperitoneal lymph nodes regardless of completion of lymphadenectomy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that aEOC patients with optimal cytoreduction who underwent SRL did not show a significant improvement in survival irrespective of each histological type.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Daido Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kajiyama
authors.forename: Tomokazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Umezu
authors.forename: Kiyosumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Michiyasu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagasaka
authors.forename: Fumitaka
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kikkawa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D000077216:Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000517:prevention & control; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012187:Retroperitoneal Space; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D055815:Young Adult