Repetitive debulking surgery as adjuvant to chemotherapy in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

The Authors refer their own experience on a planned prospective study of integrated chemosurgical treatment in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. Repetitive surgery interspersed with non cross resistant schedules of chemotherapy can achieve more than 60% of complete responses with an expected five years survival rate dependent on the residual disease after primary and especially second operation. In particular residual neoplasia larger than five centimeters after the first laparotomy or larger than two centimeters left behind at second laparotomy constitutes the worst prognostic index.