Surgical and survival outcomes of laparoscopic staging surgery for patients with stage I ovarian cancer

Objective: To assess the feasibility and survival outcomes of laparoscopic staging for patients with stage I ovarian cancer. Materials and methods: Consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic staging surgery for stage I ovarian cancer from January 2002 to December 2014 were evaluated retrospectively by chart review. Results: Twenty-four patients with mean age 43.9 ± 9.9 years and mean body mass index 24.0 ± 3.8 kg/m² were included, in which 12 (50%) patients were in stage IA and 12 (50%) in stage IC. The histological types included serous in 6 (25%), mucinous in 7 (29.1%), endometrioid in 6 (25%), clear cell in 5 (20.8%) patients. The mean surgical time was 306.4 ± 98.5 min, and the mean blood loss was 204.2 ± 188.6 mL. None of the patients required conversion to laparotomy. The median numbers of resected pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes were 20 and 4, respectively. One (4.1%) patient encountered bowel injury intraoperatively, and the other 1 (4.1%) patient hydronephrosis postoperatively. The overall survival rate was 95% in the current series in a median follow-up of 31.5 months. Conclusion: Laparoscopic staging surgery performed for early stage ovarian cancer has better long term survival outcomes than the literature report. Laparoscopic treatment by a trained gynecologic oncologist is an ideal alternative for early stage ovarian cancer with the advantage of minimal invasiveness.