title: The Role of Completion Surgery in Ovarian Cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients referred with inadequately staged ovarian malignancies present a clinical dilemma. We report our experience with completion surgery in ovarian cancer.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the benefits and risks of completion surgery in women with ovarian cancer who presented after having had inadequate primary surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective case series of 30 women with ovarian cancer and one with fallopian tube cancer who had inadequate primary surgery underwent completion surgery at gynaecologic oncology unit in a tertiary level hospital in Tamil Nadu, India. Electronic medical records of patients with ovarian cancer who underwent completion surgery between January 2011 and September 2014 for ovarian were reviewed. Forty-five patients with initial inadequate surgery were identified of whom 31 underwent completion surgery; the remaining 14 did not return to our hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-one women with a mean age of 37 years (17-53) and median parity of 2 (0-4) with inadequately staged ovarian malignancy underwent completion surgery. Complex ovarian mass was the most common indication for initial surgery (94 %). The tumours were epithelial in 27 (87 %), germ cell in 3 (10 %) and sex cord stromal in 1 (3 %). In view of extensive disease at presentation, 19 % (6/31) were referred for neoadjuvant chemotherapy and underwent interval debulking. With regard to surgical complexity, 52 % (16/31), 38 % (12/31) and 10 % (3/31) underwent simple, intermediate and complex surgeries, respectively. Optimal cytoreduction (R0 and R1) was performed in 25 patients (81 %). Twelve (39 %) had upstaging of disease. Six patients required no further adjuvant treatment following surgical restaging. Complications included bladder injury (1), iliac vessel injury (1) and surgical site infections (2). During the study period of 45 months, 7 patients (23 %) presented with disease recurrence. There were 2 recorded deaths.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In inadequately staged ovarian malignancies, completion surgery should be considered based on the patients' performance status and disease assessment. Considering the low specificity of imaging and Ca 125, completion surgery provides information to plan adjuvant therapy, besides allowing optimal cytoreduction but delays initiation of adjuvant therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaec Oncology, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632004 India.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vinotha
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaec Oncology, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632004 India.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Anitha
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaec Oncology, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632004 India.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ajit
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaec Oncology, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632004 India.
authors.forename: Chandy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rachel
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaec Oncology, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632004 India.
authors.forename: Peedicayil
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Abraham
keywords: Completion staging; Ovarian cancer; Primary inadequate surgery