Survival after second-look laparotomy in advanced ovarian epithelial cancer. Study of 86 patients.

Second-look laparotomy (SLL) was performed after chemotherapy in 86 patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. Seventy-one patients received cisplatin-based regimens. Median follow-up was 66 months. Negative SLL was found in 32 patients who had a 5-year survival rate of 48.3% after SLO. Microscopic residual disease was present in seven patients whose 5-year survival rate was 35.7%. Maximum residual tumor of 2 cm or less was found in 13 patients with a 5-year survival rate of 30%. Residual tumor larger than 2 cm after secondary cytoreduction was present in 20 patients; their 3-year survival rate was 19.7%. Fourteen patients with bulky residual disease who did not have cytoreduction were all dead within 17 months. Patients with initial residual tumor at first laparotomy less than 2 cm had a nearly significant advantage in survival rate over patients with residual disease greater than 2 cm and stage IV (P = 0.07). Non-responders to initial chemotherapy had a survival rate similar to that of partial responders. These findings justify discontinuation of conventional systemic chemotherapy for patients showing residual disease after SLL and secondary tumor removal in case of residual tumor at SLL. Therapeutic trials are needed in advanced ovarian cancer testing initial aggressive surgery or early debulking to avoid bulky residual disease, and consolidation therapy in patients who achieved complete pathological response or minimal residual disease.