Postoperative use of radioactive phosphorus in stage I ovarian carcinoma

The addition of intraperitoneal colloidal radioactive chromic phosphorus following total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and omentectomy in women with Stage I ovarian cancer does not cause significant morbidity. Moreover, our preliminary results suggest that this regimen appears to increase the rate of local control of disease. In 21 unselected patients, there was 1 incident of small bowel obstruction. Fourteen of these patients have been followed for at least 1 1/2 years; all are alive without evidence of disease. These facts suggest that a national prospective study to investigate the efficacy of this treatment for Stage I ovarian cancer is warranted.