The roles of second-look laparotomy and cancer antigen 125 in the management of ovarian carcinoma.

Because noninvasive methods like ultrasound scanning or computed tomography cannot detect small-volume residual tumor, second-look laparotomy has been recommended for evaluation of treatment response in ovarian cancer. The use of cancer antigen 125 to monitor the course of the disease during treatment is widely accepted. The tumor marker has prognostic value, but its ability to detect small volume of disease is limited. Second-look laparotomy appears to have a limited role in the management of ovarian cancer patients, especially in the context of ineffective second-line therapy.