[Role of the second look in ovarian neoplasia]

The indications for the execution of a second look in patients affected with ovarian cancers and the possible benefits of this procedure, related to the stage of the neoplastic disease, are examined. The second look, at first largely used in patients in which had been performed adjuvant chemotherapy with drugs containing platinum and with no evidence of residual disease, has been later strongly criticized and the effective usefulness of this invasive procedure discussed. At the moment, we think that the indications for its execution are still large because with the second look it is also possible to put into the abdomen a catheter which can be used for locoregional chemotherapy and there is now the opportunity to perform this procedure also in video-laparoscopy.