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Updated: Aug 19, 2026
Quantitation of Intra-peritoneal Ovarian Cancer Metastasis
Published on: July 18, 2016
Early ovarian cancer: what is the staging impact of retroperitoneal node sampling?
W Faught1, T Le, M Fung Kee Fung
1Division of Gynaecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Background:
Comprehensive surgical staging of apparent early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer includes peritoneal washings, biopsies, and retroperitoneal lymph node dissection. Unresolved is the relative frequency or importance of the lymph node dissection.
Objectives:
(1) To determine the site(s) of microscopic metastatic disease in women undergoing a comprehensive staging for apparent early-stage cancer of the ovary; (2) to identify those women with metastases in the retroperitoneal lymph nodes alone.
Methods:
Between 1985 and 2000, we reviewed all records of women at cancer centres in Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Saskatoon who had undergone a "staging laparotomy" for an apparent early-stage IA epithelial cancer of the ovary. Histology, tumour grade, initial and final surgical stage, and the site(s) of metastatic disease were recorded for all cases.
Results:
Forty-three of the 128 women (34%) had a final surgical stage of II or III. Sixteen women had positive pelvic biopsies, while 19 had microscopic upper abdominal disease. Eight women had positive retroperitoneal nodes, and in only 2 of these women, disease was found in the retroperitoneal nodes alone. In the 8 women with nodal disease, 5 had grade 3 tumours and 6 had serous histology tumours.
Conclusion:
Comprehensive staging is important to identify women with metastatic disease. Solitary nodal metastases are predominantly found in grade 3 and serous tumours.
