Thoracoscopy for the management of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer--a preliminary report

To determine possible benefits of thoracoscopy for the management of patients with Stage IIIC and IV epithelial ovarian cancer.

Thirty patients underwent thoracoscopy at the time of primary cytoreduction to determine the presence and extent of intrathoracic disease and the feasibility of cytoreduction. Survival of patients with Stage IV disease undergoing thoracoscopy was compared to that of historical controls (Stage IV on the basis of positive pleural effusion cytology and/or pleural involvement by contiguous diaphragmatic metastases) who did not undergo thoracoscopy (log-rank analysis).

Among the 24 patients with Stage IV disease having thoracoscopy, 11 (45.8%) did not have macroscopic intrathoracic disease, 10 (41.7%) underwent pleural implant ablation and/or excision as well as nodal excision that influenced the final cytoreductive outcome, and 3 (12.5%) had efforts to achieve complete intra-abdominal cytoreduction abbreviated after unresectable intrathoracic disease was found. The 24 patients who had thoracoscopy and the historical controls were not significantly different with respect to median age, performance status, extent of intra-abdominal disease, amount of ascites, and intra-abdominal cytoreductive outcome. The median and estimated 5-year survival for the entire cohort were 28.9 months and 42%, respectively. Log-rank analysis revealed the probability of survival to be improved by the performance of thoracoscopy (performed vs not performed, P = 0.05).

Thoracoscopy quantifies the volume of intrathoracic disease, may allow abbreviation of the abdominal phase of cytoreduction for patients with unresectable pleural disease, and permits complete cytoreduction for some patients who might otherwise have unrecognized macroscopic residual intrathoracic disease. A multi-institutional prospective study may better define the role of this procedure in clinical practice.