[Tumor recurrence following negative second-look laparotomy in ovarian carcinoma]

Between January 1980 and December 1990, 107 ovarian carcinoma patients in clinical complete remission were submitted to a second-look laparotomy at our department. Borderline carcinomas were excluded from the study. Second-look laparotomy was negative in 78.5% of the cases (84 patients). During the follow-up period after the second-look-laparotomy (mean 59 months, range 6 to 120), a recurrence of the tumour was diagnosed in 7 patients (8.4% false-negative rate). This took place after a mean time of 39 months following the previous negative second-look (range 8 to 108). Three of the recurrences were localized in the pelvis, two in the upper abdomen and two in the paraaortic and supraclavicular lymph nodes, respectively. All patients with a recurrence belonged to the group having received adjuvant chemotherapy for one year after initial surgery. At the present time we lack any means to anticipate which patients with a negative second-look will eventually show a recurrence of their tumour.