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Port-site metastases after open laparoscopy: a study in 173 patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma
  1. I. VERGOTE,
  2. S. MARQUETTE,
  3. F. AMANT,
  4. P. BERTELOOT and
  5. P. NEVEN
  1. Division of Gynaecological Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
  1. Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Ignace Vergote, MD, PhD, Division of Gynaecological Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. Email: ignace.vergote{at}uz.kuleuven.ac.be

Abstract

Open laparoscopy was used to diagnose advanced ovarian cancer. Patients with a pelvic mass and an omental cake and/or large-volume ascites were selected for open laparoscopy. One hundred and seventy-three patients with stage III or IV ovarian carcinoma underwent diagnostic open laparoscopy. Seventy-one patients underwent complete excision of port sites at the time of debulking surgery. Thirty (17%) patients developed port-site metastases. However, only 8 (5%) of these port-site metastases were clinically diagnosed, while 22 out of 71 (31%) with complete port-site excision were diagnosed on pathologic examination. There was no significant relationship between the development of port-site metastases and median time to primary chemotherapy or surgery, the presence of ascites, or stage IV disease. All port-site metastases disappeared during primary therapy, and none of the patients developed a second relapse in one of their port sites. We observed a high rate of port-site metastases after laparoscopy in patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma. However, prognosis was not worse in this group of patients. Laparoscopy is a convenient technique to diagnose advanced ovarian carcinoma, to exclude other primary tumors, and to refer patients to a tertiary center.

  • laparoscopy
  • ovarian neoplasms
  • port-site metastases

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