[Classification and morbidity of debulking surgery for advanced ovarian cancer]

Postoperative residual disease is a major predicting factor in the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer. The goal of the surgery is now well known. It is to eradicate all macroscopic tumor. So, the most useful way to describe the residual disease is to measure exactly the size of the tumor left after surgery (no gross residual, gross residual < 5 mm, gross residual < 10 mm and gross residual > 10 mm) and to avoid the usual classification (optimal and suboptimal). The goal of no gross residual disease after surgery involves more often extended surgical efforts particularly upper abdominal surgery (diaphragm stripping, splenectomy, etc.). Radical procedures without any macroscopic residual disease have been shown to be safe and potentially beneficial to patients.