Significance of cytoreductive surgery including bowel resection for patients with advanced ovarian cancer

The aim of this study was to determine the significance of bowel resection in advanced ovarian cancer. A total of 64 women with stage IIIc or IV epithelial ovarian cancer, who consecutively received primary treatment between 1991 and 1995, were entered in this prospective study. The outcome of the patients undergoing bowel resection was evaluated. Thirty-nine patients underwent cytoreductive surgery at initial surgery. Of them, 16 patients could undergo optimal operation without bowel resection. Twenty-three patients received bowel resection at initial surgery. Of these 23 patients, 16 underwent optimal operation and 7 did not. Among 25 patients judged as inoperable cases at initial surgery, 21 responded to chemotherapy and underwent second surgery. Of 21 patients receiving second surgery, 15 underwent optimal operation (7 without bowel resection and 8 with bowel resection). The 3-year survival rate for 24 patients undergoing optimal operation with bowel resection (46.8%) was not significantly different from that for 23 patients without bowel resection (59.1%). Postoperative complications were seen in 8 patients (21.6%) of the patients receiving bowel resection and 3 (13.0%) of those without bowel resection. Cytoreductive surgery including bowel resection is effective for an improvement of the survival in patients with advanced ovarian cancer, if an optimal operation can be performed.