title: Laparoscopic staging for apparent early stage ovarian or fallopian tube cancer. First case series from a UK cancer centre and systematic literature review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the experience of laparoscopic staging of apparent early stage adnexal cancers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospectively collected data on women who had laparoscopic staging for apparent early stage adnexal cancers from May 2008 to September 2012 was reviewed. All women had had a prior surgical procedure at which the diagnosis was made, without comprehensive staging. A systematic MEDLINE search from 1980 to 2012 for publications on laparoscopic staging was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-five women had laparoscopic staging. Median age was 45 years (range 21-73). Median operative time was 210 min (range 90-210). Four intra-operative and one post-operative complication occurred; overall complication rate 5/35 (14%). One vena cava and one transverse colon injury underwent laparotomies for repair. Laparotomy conversion rate 2/35 (6%). Following laparoscopic staging, the cancer was upstaged for eight (23%) women; microscopic omental involvement (four women), pelvic lymph node involvement (two women), para-aortic lymph node involvement (one woman) and contra-lateral ovarian involvement (one woman). After follow up for a median of 18 months (range 3-59) the disease free survival was 94% and overall survival was 100%. Nine studies were identified on laparoscopic staging of adnexal cancer, of which this is the largest single institution series.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study adds to the evidence that laparoscopic staging is at least as safe as staging by laparotomy with appropriate and similar oncological outcomes, but with the advantages of minimal access surgery. We therefore advocate the use of laparoscopy to achieve surgical staging for women with presumed early stage adnexal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecological Oncology, The Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Fulham Road, London SW3 6JJ, UK. Elly.Brockbank@rmh.nhs.uk
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Brockbank
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Harry
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kolomainen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mukhopadhyay
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sohaib
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bridges
authors.forename: M A E
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nobbenhuis
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Shepherd
authors.forename: T E J
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Ind
authors.forename: D P J
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Barton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005185:Fallopian Tube Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D007813:Laparotomy / Q000379:methods; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016019:Survival Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Fallopian tube cancer; Laparoscopy; Ovarian cancer; Staging