Radical surgery best in ovarian cancer

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A look back at the evidence shows that surgery to remove all affected tissue in ovarian cancer gives best results.
It makes sense to remove as much diseased tissue as possible when treating cancer. Yet, in ovarian cancer, it has been the practice not to remove metastatic tissue from the diaphragm in the belief that it doesn't really improve survival. Is this really the case?

A team at the Mayo Clinic has looked at data from 244 patients with ovarian cancer operated on from 1994 to 1998 and 2002 to 2004. The rate of removal of affected tissue from the diaphragm increased from 22.5 per cent in the first period to 40 per cent in the more recent period. The five year survival rates for those who did have diaphragm tissue removed was 55 per cent, compared to 28 per cent for those who did not have it removed. Clearly, therefore, the trend towards more radical surgery - among those who have diaphragm metastasis - is encouraging.

Source
Gynecologic Oncology online 12th October 2005