Indications, advantages, and limits of laparoscopy in ovarian cancer

Ninety-two patients with ovarian cancer (72 epithelial and 20 special) underwent 123 laparoscopies for restaging (23 patients), follow-up (46 patients), and second look (28 patients), All cases are analyzed according to the indications, characteristics of procedure, and morbidity. The results are discussed. Isolated diaphragmatic metastases were absent in the restaging of referred localized cancer ( 0 17); the number of positive peritoneal washings in the same patients, on the contrary, was significant ( 5 17). Laparoscopy seems to be a very useful procedure in the follow-up of patients without clinically followable disease or showing questionable response to chemotherapy. Combined laparoscopy/laparotomy procedures show the limits of sole laparoscopy: All this notwithstanding, the present 2-year study emphasizes the great value of this "minor" surgery in the surveillance of ovarian cancer.