THE LAPAROSCOPIC MANAGEMENT OF OVARIAN-CARCINOMA - PRELIMINARY-OBSERVATIONS AND SUGGESTED PROTOCOLS

The laparoscopic management of seven women with primary ovarian cancer is described. One had stage I disease, four had stage IIIB and IIIC d isease, and two were restaged after suboptimal primary operations. Bot h patients who were restaged had aortic lymph node metastasis. All pat ients were left with either no residual or minimal residual disease. T he mean anaesthetic time was 4.25 h, the average blood loss 542 ml, th e median hospital stay 3 days, and there were no surgical complication s. Five patients received chemotherapy prior to discharge. The laparos copic management of ovarian cancer is discussed in the light of this n ecessarily anecdotal experience, and the widely held view that laparos copic surgery is contraindicated in women with suspected ovarian cance r is shown to be untenable. Protocols for the laparoscopic management of patients with early and advanced stage disease are outlined and dis cussed.