Staging laparotomy in early epithelial ovarian carcinoma

It is well known that ovarian carcinoma may have subclinically metastasized at the time of the initial surgical operation when all tumor seemed to be confined to the ovary. A retrospective review of 650 ovarian carcinoma patients from 1976 to 1984 revealed 25 staging laparotomies for early epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Sixteen patients had invasive epithelial ovarian carcinoma, and nine had borderline ovarian carcinomas. Five patients had the stage of their disease changed whereas 20 remained unchanged. Among the staging laparotomy patients, 50% of cases of ovarian carcinoma with ruptured capsules were upstaged as were 33% with those with ascites. Twenty-five percent of cases with invasive epithelial ovarian carcinoma and 12% with borderline ovarian carcinoma were upstaged by a staging laparotomy. As a result of staging laparotomy, 72% of patients were spared treatment. No patient with disease truly confined to the ovaries showed recurrence in spite of receiving no treatment. All patients with disease apparently confined to the ovaries should undergo a staging laparotomy. Only disease remote from the ovary need be treated. If a staging laparotomy is not done, treatment is recommended for apparent Stage I disease.