Cytoreductive surgery and intraoperative hyperthermic chemoperfusion for advanced ovarian carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Optimal cytoreductive surgery combined with intraoperative hyperthermic chemoperfusion (IHCP) is a therapy that potentially could improve survival in a select group of patients with advanced ovarian cancer. The purpose of this study was to review the results of cytoreductive surgery and IHCP for advanced ovarian cancer and to identify factors that may predict which patients maximally benefit from this aggressive treatment. METHODS: Patients treated with cytoreduction followed by IHCP for ovarian cancer were identified from an IHCP database from 1/2001 through 3/2004. Several factors including resection status, peritoneal cancer index (PCI), and prior surgery were evaluated for their ability to predict survival in our cohort of patients. RESULTS: Thirteen patients with ovarian cancer treated with cytoreductive surgery followed by IHCP were identified. The 3-year overall survival rate for all thirteen patients was 55%. The median disease-free survival was 15.4 months (3-year disease-free survival, 11%). Several factors including PCI score (<6), ability to resect all gross disease, and previous surgical exploration appeared to impart an overall survival advantage. CONCLUSIONS: The use of IHCP coupled with optimal cytoreduction is a safe and effective treatment for advanced ovarian carcinoma. However, the proper selection of patients who will benefit most from the therapy is essential for the success of the treatment.     

Advanced ovarian cancer

Opinion statement Ovarian cancer spreads early in the disease into the abdomen. An en bloc resection of the tumor, according to surgical principle, is not possible in patients with highstage ovarian cancer. At surgery, large pelvic tumor lesions are found together with multiple tumor lesions involving the omentum, bowel, and mesentery together with a diffuse peritoneal carcinomatosis and diaphragmatic involvement. A multimodality approach with cytoreductive surgery and taxol platinum-based chemotherapy is therefore the mainstay of treatment of advanced ovarian cancer. The size of residual disease after surgery is one of the most important prognostic factors for survival. Patients with an optimal tumor cytoreduction (residual lesions smaller than 1 cm) have a significant longer survival (almost two times the median survival) than patients with larger residual lesions [1-5]. This holds true even for patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IV disease [6-10]. Patients in whom all macroscopic tumor is resected do have the longest survival. The 2-year survival of patients with a radical resection of all macroscopic tumors is 80%, in contrast to less than 22% for the patients with lesions larger than 2 cm [4]. An optimal primary cytoreductive surgery can generally be performed in 30% to 50% of patients [11]. Only in more experienced gynecologic oncology centers is the percentage as high as 85%, but sometimes at the cost of an increased morbidity and even mortality [12,13,14-16,17]. The worse prognosis of the patients with a suboptimal primary cytoreductive surgery can be improved by an interval cytoreductive surgery after platinum-containing induction chemotherapy [18,19]. The median survival and progression-free survivals are significantly lengthened by cytoreductive surgery. After more than 5-years follow-up there is still a significant survival benefit: the 5-year survival of the surgery patients was 24% versus 13% for the no-surgery patients (P = 0.0032). All patients, including those with unfavorable prognostic factors (stage IV disease, peritonitis carcinomatosis, or ascites at primary surgery), and even patients with stable disease after induction chemotherapy, seem to benefit from interval cytoreductive surgery. The increase in progression-free survival and overall survival does outweigh the morbidity associated with interval debulking surgery, which is not different from those associated with primary surgery.     

Peritoneal carcinomatosis from digestive tract cancer: new management by cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia

Peritoneal carcinomatosis is a common manifestation of digestive-tract cancer and has been regarded a terminal disease with a short median survival. Over the past decade, a new locoregional therapeutic approach combining cytoreductive surgery with intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia (IPCH) has evolved. Because of its limited benefits, high morbidity and mortality, and high cost, this comprehensive management plan requires accurate patient selection. Quantitative prognostic indicators are needed to assess a patient's eligibility for combined treatment, including tumour histopathology, classification of carcinomatosis extent, assessment of completeness of cytoreduction, and determination of the extent of previous surgery. Patients with pseudomyxoma peritonei and those with peritoneal dissemination of digestive-tract cancer have shown promising survival. Complete cytoreduction with no visible disease persisting is a requirement for long-term benefit. In Japan and Korea, use of IPCH as prophylactic treatment in potentially curative gastric-cancer resection has shown improved survival and lower peritoneal recurrence rates. IPCH combined with cytoreductive surgery seems to be an effective therapeutic approach in carefully selected patients, and offers a chance for cure or palliation in this condition with few alternative treatment options.     

The role of secondary cytoreductive surgery for recurrent mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer (mEOC)

Background

Mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer (mEOC) may exhibit a distinct biological behavior in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The role of secondary cytoreductive surgery was evaluated in patients with recurrent mEOC, and the prognosis was assessed.

Methods

Twenty-one patients with stages IIc to IV mEOC who experienced disease recurrence and received secondary cytoreductive surgery at Fudan University Cancer Hospital between Jan. 1997 and Dec. 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Survival curves were generated using the Kaplan–Meier method and the significant comparison of survival rate was estimated by the log-rank test.

Results

The median progression-free interval (PFI) was 14 months (range, 5–46 months) after the first cytoreduction. Seven patients (33%) who received secondary cytoreductive surgery were optimally cytoreduced with residual disease less than or equal 1 cm, and the other 14 patients (67%) underwent suboptimal surgical cytoreduction. The overall median survival time was 27 months (range, 8–64 months). The median survival time after recurrence was 10 months (range, 3–32 months). There was no significant statistical difference in median survival between patients with optimal and suboptimal secondary surgical cytoreduction, with an estimated survival of 10 months and 9.8 months, respectively (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

Optimal primary cytoreductive surgery for advanced mEOC was very important. Once it recurs, the prognosis is very poor. Patients with recurrent mEOC should be carefully assessed before performing secondary cytoreductive surgery, as this may have limited impact on the overall survival rates.     

Impact of secondary cytoreductive surgery on survival of patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer

Aims To investigate the impact on survival of secondary cytoreduction for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer and variables influencing redebulking surgical outcome. Methods Between 1986 and 1997, 106 patients who received secondary cytoreductive surgery and consequent second-line chemotherapy for stages III and IV epithelial ovarian cancer were retrospectively reviewed. The optimal residual disease cut-off was 1.0 cm. The Cox proportional regression model and logistic stepwise regression were used in statistical processing of the data. Results The median age of the patients was 50 years (range, 26–77 years). Optimal secondary cytoreduction was achieved in 46 of 106 patients (43.4%). There was a significant difference in survival between patients who were optimally cytoreduced compared to those suboptimaly cytoreduced, with an estimated median survival in the optimal group of 20 months vs 8 months in the suboptimal group (²=42.03, P=0.0000). When factorized, patients had significant survival benefit from optimal secondary cytoreduction for recurrent disease and interval cytoreduction. Survival was adversely influenced by progression-free interval ≤12 months (P=0.0078), residual disease >1 cm (P=0.0001) and presence of refractory ascites (P=0.0001). The probability of successful redebulking surgery was affected by presence of refractory ascites (P=0.0023) in all 106 patients and by the ascites (P=0.0072) and residual disease at initial operation in recurrent disease (P=0.0096). Conclusion Secondary surgical cytoreduction surgery significantly lengthened survival for patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer or those receiving interval cytoreduction. Patients with refractory ascites, however, were not suitable for aggressive secondary surgery, and redebulking surgery for those with residual disease of >1.0 cm after primary operation should be considered prudently in recurrent disease.     

Recurrent micropapillary serous ovarian carcinoma

BACKGROUND: The objectives of the current study were to: 1) characterize the clinical outcome of patients with recurrent micropapillary serous ovarian carcinoma (MPSC) and 2) evaluate the survival impact of secondary cytoreductive surgery and other prognostic variables. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with recurrent MPSC were identified retrospectively from hospital and tumor registry databases. Survival curves were generated from the time of tumor recurrence using the Kaplan-Meier method and statistical comparisons were performed using the log-rank test, logistic regression analysis, and the Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: The median age of the patients at the time of recurrence was 46 years. The mean progression-free interval was 31.6 months, and 92% of patients had advanced stage disease at the time of the initial diagnosis. Twenty-one patients underwent secondary cytoreductive surgery; tumor debulking was performed in 90.5% of cases and 52.4% of patients required an intestinal resection. Optimal resection (residual disease < or = 1 cm) was achieved in 15 patients (71.4%). Patients undergoing optimal secondary cytoreduction had a median survival time of 61.2 months from the date of disease recurrence, compared with 25.5 months for those patients in whom suboptimal residual disease remained (P < 0.02) and 29.9 months for nonsurgical patients (P < 0.01). On multivariate analysis, optimal secondary cytoreduction was found to be the only independent predictor of survival. Salvage chemotherapy produced an objective response in 25% of patients with measurable disease. The administration of chemotherapy prior to surgical intervention was associated with a trend toward worse survival and a lower likelihood of optimal secondary cytoreduction. CONCLUSIONS: Optimal secondary cytoreductive surgery is feasible in the majority of patients with recurrent MPSC and is an independent predictor of subsequent survival. Surgical intervention should be considered for those patients with recurrent MPSC. [See editorials on pages 675-6 and 677-80, this issue.]     

晚期及复发子宫内膜癌减瘤术的临床价值

对于晚期及复发的子宫内膜癌，减瘤术的临床价值如何，尚无一致认识。近期临床资料显示,积极彻底的减瘤术，辅助不同的放、化疗治疗方案，可明显改善此类患者的预后。本文就以下方面进行讨论：1)减瘤术的意义；2)关于淋巴结切除；3)术后并发症；4)术后辅助治疗；5)生存益处。     

Surgical cytoreduction in ovarian cancer

The majority of ovarian cancer patients present with advanced-stage disease, for which the goal of surgery is not only to document the extent of disease but also to perform surgical cytoreduction or tumor debulking. Cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer is generally performed at the time of diagnosis, when it is referred to as primary cytoreduction. It is also performed during primary chemotherapy (interval cytoreduction) and after disease recurrence (secondary cytoreduction). Over the past 3 decades, numerous retrospective analyses have established the role of primary cytoreduction in the management of advanced-stage ovarian cancer. However, recent studies have reported that certain patients benefit from a neoadjuvant chemotherapeutic approach, in which chemotherapy is given to those with presumed advanced ovarian cancer prior to cytoreductive surgery. Although several theoretical advantages of this approach over primary cytoreduction have been reported, significant concerns remain. The role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is being investigated in a randomized study currently being conducted by the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and the National Cancer Institute of Canada. The benefit of interval cytoreduction was investigated in two randomized prospective trials conducted by the EORTC and the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG). Final results were somewhat conflicting, but both studies supported an extensive attempt at surgical cytoreduction during primary therapy. In the management of recurrent disease, the majority of retrospective studies demonstrate a benefit to secondary cytoreduction. The GOG is currently attempting to better define the role of secondary cytoreduction in a prospective, randomized trial.     

Effect of cytoreductive surgery on survival of patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The value of secondary cytoreductive surgery is still controversial, especially in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer. In this retrospective study, we investigated the effect on survival of secondary cytoreduction for recurrent disease and variables influencing redebulking surgical outcome. METHODS: Between 1986 and 1997, 60 patients who received primary cytoreductive surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy for stage III and IV epithelial ovarian cancer experienced disease recurrence at least 6 months after completion of primary therapy, and secondary surgical cytoreduction was performed. The optimal residual disease cutoff was 1.0 cm. The Cox proportional regression model and Logistic stepwise regression were used in statistical processing of the data. RESULTS: The median progression-free interval between the two operations was 13 months (range, 6-56 months). Optimal secondary cytoreduction was achieved in 23 patients (38.33%). There was a significant difference in survival between patients who were optimally cytoreduced compared to those suboptimally cytoreduced, with an estimated median survival in the optimal group of 19 months vs. 8 months in the suboptimal group (chi(2) = 22.04, P = 0.0000). Prognosis of survival for individuals with progression-free interval >12 months was better than that of those with the interval 1.0 cm after primary operation should be considered prudently.     

Tertiary Cytoreduction for Recurrent Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: a Multicenter Study in Turkey

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the benefit of tertiary cytoreductive surgery (TC) for secondary recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), focusing on whether optimal cytoreduction has an impact on disease-free survival, and whether certain patient characteristics could identify ideal candidates for TC. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis of secondary recurrent EOC patients undergoing TC at three Turkish tertiary institutions from May 1997 to July 2014 was performed. All patients had previously received primary cytoreduction followed by intravenous platinum-based chemotherapy and secondary cytoreduction for first recurrence. Clinical and pathological data were obtained from the patients' medical records. Survival analysis was caried out using the Kaplan Meier method. Actuarial curves were compared by the two tailed Logrank test with a statistical significance level of 0.05. Results: Median age of the patients was 49.6 years (range, 30-67) and thirty-eight (72%) had stage III–IV disease at initial diagnosis. Twenty six (49%) had optimal and 27 (51%) suboptimal cytoreduction during tertiary debulking surgery . Optimal initial cytoreduction, time to first recurrence, optimal secondary cytoreduction, time interval between secondary cytoreduction and secondary recurrence, size of recurrence, disease status at last follow-up were found to be significant risk factors to predict optimal TC. Optimal cytoreduction in initial and tertiary surgery and serum CA-125 level prior to TC were independent prognostic factors on univariate analysis. Conclusions: Our results and a literature review clearly showed that maximal surgical effort should be made in TC, since patients undergoing optimal TC have a better survival. Thus, patients with secondary recurrent EOC in whom optimal cytoreduction can be achieved should be actively selected.     

Cytoreductive surgery in recurrent endometrial cancer: A new paradigm for surgical management?

The objective was to review the literature on the effect of surgical cytoreduction in recurrent endometrial cancer on survival, and identify baseline and clinical factors associated with improved survival. In addition, we sought to assess the effect of previous radiotherapy on surgical achievement. This review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We performed a search of PubMed and Cochrane Library to identify studies comparing cytoreductive surgery to medical management and studies reporting on patients receiving cytoreductive surgery as part of multi-modal treatment. Primary outcomes included overall survival and progression free survival, secondary outcomes included factors associated with improved survival. A total of 11 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria, comprising 1146 patients. All studies were retrospective studies. Cytoreduction as part of treatment for recurrent endometrial cancer was associated with prolonged overall survival and progression free survival. Complete cytoreduction was an independent factor associated with improved survival. Other factors associated with prolonged survival were tumor grade 1, endometrioid histology, ECOG performance status 0, and isolated pelvic recurrences. Factors associated with obtaining complete cytoreduction included solitary disease, tumor size <6 cm and ECOG performance status 0. Previous radiotherapy was not associated with achieving complete cytoreduction. Cytoreductive surgery may benefit patients meeting specific selection criteria based on a limited number of retrospective studies, with complete cytoreduction showing the largest survival gain. However, further prospective studies are needed to validate the survival benefit and aid in patient selection.     

The role of cytoreductive/debulking surgery in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer-related death among women in the United States, although the median survival of patients has been increasing over the past few decades. In patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, chemotherapy has increased survival. Platinum agents combined with taxanes have become standard treatment. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy has also increased survival. Cytoreductive surgery to optimally debulk a tumor or, ideally, remove any gross disease has also been shown to increase survival. Each 10% increase in cytoreduction correlates with a 5.5% increase in median survival. The ability to successfully perform optimal cytoreduction ranges from 20% to 90%. Many institutions have recently begun to perform aggressive/ultraradical procedures to achieve this result. Interval cytoreduction may also benefit patients whose initial surgery is suboptimal, especially if the first procedure was performed by a surgeon unfamiliar with the disease. Secondary cytoreduction can increase survival in patients with low-volume disease and a long disease-free interval. All of these procedures should be performed by a specialist trained in ovarian cancer surgery.     

Cytoreductive surgery in the management of ovarian cancer

The standard management for previously untreated advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer is optimum cytoreductive surgery followed by aggressive cytotoxic chemotherapy. This approach is based on a retrospective review of a single-institution experience published more than 30 years ago and has yet to be confirmed in a prospective randomized trial. Many subsequent studies have supported the observation that advanced ovarian cancer patients who have the longest survival invariably have no macroscopic disease left at the completion of the initial surgery. The combination of a platinum- and taxane-based chemotherapy regimen is now well established as the most active one for treating women with advanced ovarian cancer. However, the overwhelming majority of patients with advanced ovarian cancer will eventually experience disease recurrence and develop resistance to cytotoxic chemotherapy. Selected patients with recurrent ovarian cancer--ie, those with an isolated recurrence identified more than 6 months following completion of initial chemotherapy and who have an excellent performance status--are managed with cytoreductive surgery followed by a platinum-based regimen. As in previously untreated patients, patients who have no macroscopic residual tumor left after secondary debulking for recurrent ovarian cancer have a significantly better survival than those left with any gross tumor. This article will review the role of surgery in the initial management of advanced-stage and recurrent ovarian cancer, focusing on the definition of optimum surgical cytoreduction.     

Cytoreductive surgery combined with organ resection for advanced ovarian carcinoma

Background: The survival effects of combined organ resection in cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian carcinoma with regard to the site and the number of organs involved have not yet been clarified. Methods: Data obtained from 143 patients with stage III/IV ovarian carcinoma were used for analysis. Combined organ resection (COR) was employed in 21 patients in whom optimal cytoreduction (defined as a residuum ≦2 cm in diameter) was expected to be achieved by the procedure. Results: The tumors were optimally cytoreduced in 98 (68.5%) of 143 patients, either in primary surgery (n = 53) or in interval cytoreductive surgery (n = 45). The overall survival of patients with optimal cytoreduction was significantly higher than that of patients with nonoptimal cytoreduction (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference between the survival of patients in the optimal primary cytoreduction group and that of patients in the optimal interval cytoreduction group. The survival of stage III patients who underwent optimal surgery with COR was comparable to that of stage III patients who underwent optimal surgery without COR and was better than that of stage III patients who underwent nonoptimal surgery (P < 0.01). However, no effect of COR on the survival of stage IV patients was found. In the group of stage III patients who underwent optimal surgery with COR, the survival time tended to be shorter in patients who had upper abdominal organ resections (P = 0.059), and it was significantly shorter in patients who underwent resections of two or more organs (P = 0.0299). There was no operative mortality in any of the patients who underwent COR. Conclusion: Although COR has therapeutic significance for stage III ovarian carcinoma, the survival periods of patients with stage III ovarian carcinoma who have undergone additional upper abdominal organ resections, or two or more organ resections, may be shorter than the survival periods of patients with stage III ovarian carcinoma who have undergone resection of a single non-upper-abdominal organ. Received: July 4, 2002 / Accepted: January 20, 2003 Correspondence to:N. Sakuragi     

Primary surgery for ovarian cancer.

AIM: Review studies on survival outcomes for all survival treatment methods of primary ovarian cancer. METHODS: This presentation is based on systematic literature search in Pubmed, Medline, Cochrane and Internet addresses for treatment protocols. RESULTS: Major controversies still exist on what constitutes optimal surgical staging in a patient with early-stage ovarian cancer and what is optimal surgical management for high-risk patients. Several large retrospective studies consistently identify the size of the largest residual disease after primary cytoreductive surgery as an independent determinant of prognosis, but the size limit of residual disease that needs to be fulfilled for cytoreduction to have effect on survival is not identified. The effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced ovarian cancer is uncertain. A large prospective randomized study is initiated for assessing the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The survival rate is better for patients treated at teaching hospitals compared with non-teaching hospitals. CONCLUSION: This systematic review demonstrates the need for more studies on survival outcomes for all surgical treatment methods of primary ovarian cancer assessed in this report.     

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and ovarian cancer

Primary surgical cytoreduction followed by chemotherapy usually is the preferred management of advanced (stage III or IV) ovarian cancer. The presence of residual disease after surgery is one of the most important adverse prognostic factors for survival. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been proposed as an alternative approach to conventional surgery as initial management of bulky ovarian cancer, with the goal of improving surgical quality. Retrospective analyses suggest that a subgroup of patients with Stage III and IV ovarian carcinoma can be treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery. The absolute indications for neoadjuvant chemotherapy appear to be Stage IV disease (excluding pleural fluid) or metastases of more than 1 g at sites where resection is impossible. Interval debulking surgery in patients with suboptimal primary debulking surgery has been proven effective in increasing overall survival and progression-free survival in a large prospective, randomized trial of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). GOG evaluated the effect of adding secondary cytoreductive surgery to postoperative chemotherapy. Unfortunately in this study, for patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma in whom primary cytoreductive surgery was considered to be maximal, the addition of secondary cytoreductive surgery to postoperative chemotherapy with paclitaxel plus cisplatin does not improve progression-free survival or overall survival. The strategy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, followed by interval debulking surgery, should be confirmed in a prospective randomized trial. The EORTC55971 trial is currently addressing this issue.     

Surgical standards in the management of ovarian cancer

Surgery is the cornerstone of management of epithelial ovarian cancer and has broad applications throughout the clinical course of disease, from initial diagnosis to palliative care. Comprehensive surgical staging is essential for precise prognostic determination and treatment planning for patients with apparent early-stage ovarian cancer. Although randomized trials are lacking, the survival advantage associated with optimal primary cytoreduction has been consistent and reproducible. With increasing radicality of cytoreductive surgical techniques and sophistication of postoperative care, it appears that an "optimal" surgical procedure is that which leaves the patient with no visible residual disease. The survival benefits of cytoreductive surgery are also applicable to women with stage IV ovarian cancer, although the rate of success is somewhat attenuated compared with patients with stage III disease. Recent data also indicate that with appropriate surgical selection criteria, secondary cytoreduction is associated with a significant prolongation of survival for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, several recent publications illustrate how the decentralization of health care may have significant ramifications on the ability of women with known or suspected ovarian cancer to avail themselves of the surgical standard of care.     

复发性卵巢上皮癌二次细胞减灭术的临床意义

目的 探讨复发性卵巢上皮癌二次细胞减灭术（SCR）的作用及其影响因素。方法 60例晚期卵巢上皮癌因肿瘤复发行SCR治疗。采用Cox逐步回归分析预后的影响因素;采用Logistic回归分析影响SCR的危险因素。结果 SCR术后残癌≤1cm组与＞1cm组的中位生存期分别为19个月和8个月,差异有显著性（P＝0.0000)。缓解期＞12个月与≤12个月者,再手术后中位生存期分别为12个月和8个月,差异有显著性（P＝0.0224)。肿瘤复发伴有腹水是预后的影响因素,同时也是影响SCR的主要危险因素。复发伴腹水者,SCR切净的可能减少了20．36倍。第1次手术后残癌＞1cm是影响SCR的危险因素（RR＝5．16）。本组手术死亡率1．7％,术后并发症发生率8．3％。结论 在有效二线化疗的配合下,SCR对首次行满意细胞减灭术、缓解期达12个月以上、无腹水的复发性卵巢上皮癌患者有肯定的临床疗效。     

Maximal cytoreductive effort in epithelial ovarian cancer surgery

The surgical management of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer involves cytoreduction, or removal of grossly-evident tumor. Residual disease after surgical cytoreduction of ovarian cancer has been shown to be strongly associated with survival. The goal of surgery is "optimal" surgical cytoreduction, which is generally defined as residual disease of 1 cm or less. However, the designation of "optimal" surgical cytoreduction has evolved to include maximal surgical effort and no gross residual disease. In order to achieve this, more aggressive surgical procedures such as rectosigmoidectomy, diaphragm peritonectomy, partial liver resection, and video-assisted thoracic surgery are reported and increasingly utilized in the surgical management of advanced ovarian cancer. The role of maximal surgical effort also extends to the recurrent setting where the goal of surgery should be complete cytoreduction. Patient selection is important in identifying appropriate candidates for surgical cytoreduction in the recurrent setting. The purpose of this article is to review the role of maximum surgical effort in primary and recurrent ovarian cancer.     

Outcome following incomplete surgical cytoreduction combined with intraperitoneal chemotherapy for colorectal peritoneal metastases

Cytoreductive surgery combined with intraperitoneal chemotherapy can improve survival in appropriately selected patients with colorectal peritoneal metastases. Outcomes are best in those patients in whom a complete cytoreduction can be achieved. Unresectable disease is however encountered in approximately one-quarter of patients at laparotomy. The merits, or otherwise, of proceeding with an incomplete cytoreduction in this setting are unclear. We performed a review of published outcomes following incomplete cytoreduction for colorectal peritoneal metastases. Using the electronic databases, PubMed and MEDLINE, a systematic search of available literature published during the period January 1997 to September 2014 was conducted. Following application of exclusion criteria, 19 papers were identified and included in this review. These comprised fifteen case series, 3 case control studies and one randomised control trial. In the nineteen studies included in this review, 2790 patients underwent cytoreductive surgery with or without intraperitoneal chemotherapy for peritoneal metastases of colorectal origin. Of these, 1732 (62%) underwent a complete cytoreduction while 986 (35%) patients underwent an incomplete cytoreduction. Median survival in the complete cytoreduction group ranged from 11 to 62 mo while survival in the latter group ranged from 2.4 to 32 mo. Of the 986 patients with an incomplete cytoreduction, 331 patients received intraperitoneal chemotherapy and survival in this cohort ranged from 4.5 to 32 mo. An incomplete cytoreduction, with or without intraperitoneal chemotherapy, does not appear to confer a survival benefit. The limited available data points to a palliative benefit in a subset of patients. In the absence of high quality data, the decision as to whether or not to proceed with surgery should be made on an individual patient basis.