IS THERE A ROLE FOR CT SCANNING TO MONITOR THERAPY OF OPTIMALLY DEBULKED PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED OVARIAN EPITHELIAL CANCER

Sixty patients with optimally debulked stage III ovarian epithelial ca ncer had abdomino-pelvic CT scan preoperatively and after three and si x courses of cis-platin-based chemotherapy just prior to second-look s urgery. Pelvic examination was performed and serum CA-125 drawn preope ratively, prior to each course of chemotherapy and prior to second-loo k surgery. All pelvic examinations and operative procedures were done by the author. Eight additional patients who were optimally debulked b ut whose disease progressed on first-line therapy were monitored in a similar fashion. None of 60 patients who underwent second-look surgery had evidence of disease on CT scan after three or six courses of chem otherapy, regardless of size of residual disease. Routine use of CT sc anning to monitor therapy following optimal debulking is of little val ue and may be safely omitted.