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Is laparoscopic oophorectomy rational in patients with breast cancer?
M D Mueller1, E Dreher, T Eggimann
1Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
Background:
Unsuspected malignancy remains a problem for the laparoscopic surgeon. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk of ovarian micrometastasis in patients with breast cancer who undergo laparoscopic oophorectomy.
Methods:
We analyzed 25 premenopausal women with breast cancer who underwent therapeutic laparoscopic oophorectomy. The patients were subdivided into the following two groups according to ovarian pathology: group A with and group B without breast carcinoma micrometastasis. We then reviewed the follow-up data for both groups, with special attention to metastasis of the abdominal wall.
Results:
Twelve of 44 ovaries removed by laparoscopy showed ovarian breast carcinoma micrometastasis. There were no predictive factors of micrometastasis. After a mean follow-up of 38.1 months (95% CI: 29.2-46.9 months), none of the patients with proven micrometastasis developed metastasis of the abdominal wall, and the 21 puncture sites were inconspicuous.
Conclusions:
Although 32% of patients may have unexpected ovarian micrometastasis, laparoscopic oophorectomy in patients with breast cancer remains a safe procedure.