Objective To investigate the prognostic significance of complete gross resection following cytoreductive surgery for patients with advanced stage malignant ovarian germ cell tumors.

Methods The National Cancer Data Base was accessed and patients diagnosed with an advanced stage (II-IV) malignant ovarian germ cell tumor who underwent primary cytoreductive surgery between 2011 and 2014 were selected for further analysis. For analysis purposes two groups were formed: patients with complete gross resection and those with macroscopic residual disease. Demographic and clinico-pathological characteristics were compared with the chi-square and Mann–Whitney U test. Univariate survival analysis was performed with the log-rank test after generation of Kaplan–Meier curves, while a Cox proportional hazard model was constructed to evaluate mortality after controlling for confounders.

Results A total of 343 patients who met the inclusion criteria were identified. Residual disease status was available for 276 patients: the rate of complete gross resection was 69.2 %. By univariate analysis there was no difference in overall survival between patients in the complete gross resection and macroscopic residual disease groups, P= 0.26; 3-year overall survival rates: 86.4 % and 82.8 %, respectively. No difference in overall survival was noted following stratification by histology; P = 0.64 and P = 0.24 for dysgerminoma and non-dysgerminoma tumor groups. After controlling for stage IV disease, histology and the administration of chemotherapy, macroscopic residual disease was not associated with a worse mortality (HR: 1.22, 95% CI: 0.61 to 2.46).

Conclusions Macroscopic residual disease following primary cancer-directed surgery was not associated with a worse prognosis in a cohort of patients with advanced stage malignant ovarian germ cell tumors.