What are the treatment principles of ovarian cancer surgery

The mortality rate of ovarian cancer ranks first among all major gynecological malignant tumors, seriously endangering women's health. Surgery is a common treatment for ovarian cancer. Mastering its treatment principles can improve the cure rate and patient survival rate.

During surgery, the abdominal cavity should be explored first to determine the extent of the lesion and whether there is lymph node metastasis. Ovarian cancer surgery emphasizes the thoroughness of the first surgery while avoiding unnecessary and excessive expansion of the surgery. The scope of routine surgery should be total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy followed by omentectomy, and close follow-up is required after surgery.

Young patients with stage I ovarian cancer who wish to preserve their fertility and undergo only unilateral oophorectomy should meet the following conditions: 1. The tumor is limited to stage IA with no adhesion to the surrounding tissue; 2. Exploration and biopsy of the contralateral ovary are normal with no signs of cancer; 3. The tumor type is non-clear cell carcinoma.

The scope of surgery for stage II, III, and IV cancer is basically the same as that for stage I cancer. The abdominal aorta and pelvic lymph nodes need to be thoroughly cleaned to prevent the spread and metastasis of the cancer in the future. If the condition permits, metastatic tumors with a diameter greater than 2 cm in the pelvic and abdominal cavities should be removed as much as possible. If the remaining smaller lesions cannot be radically cured, chemotherapy or pelvic and abdominal radiotherapy are required after surgery to eradicate them.

Tips: Ovarian cancer staging

Stage I tumors are confined to one or both ovaries;

Stage II tumors involve one or both ovaries with pelvic metastasis;

Stage III tumors involve one or both ovaries, with pathologically confirmed extrapelvic peritoneal metastasis and regional lymph node metastasis, including para-aortic, pelvic, and inguinal lymph node metastasis;

Distant metastasis occurs in stage IV. If cancer cells are found in the pleural effusion, it is stage IV. Metastasis to the liver parenchyma is stage IV.