The role of omentectomy and random peritoneal biopsies as part of comprehensive surgical staging in apparent early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Comprehensive surgical staging plays an important role in apparent early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer (eEOC). However, few studies have evaluated how often upstaging occurs solely as a result of microscopic metastases identified from omentectomy and random peritoneal biopsies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of omentectomy and random peritoneal biopsies for normal-appearing tissues in eEOC.

METHODS: A retrospective study was performed of patients with eEOC [International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Stages I-IIIA] between 1991 and 2010. The demographic characteristics, surgical findings, and pathologic variables were analyzed.

RESULTS: In total, 324 patients were included in the study. Of 127 patients who underwent random peritoneal biopsies, 6 (4.7 %) were upstaged to IIB or IIC based solely on pelvic peritoneal biopsy findings and 3 (2.4 %) were upstaged to IIIA based on abdominal peritoneal biopsy findings. Of 256 patients who underwent omentectomy, 7 (2.7 %) were upstaged to IIIA based on microscopic metastases identified in the normal-appearing omentum. Following routine omentectomy and random peritoneal biopsies, only one patient in our cohort experienced a change in her adjuvant treatment recommendation.

CONCLUSIONS: Although the rate of upstaging based on routine omentectomy and random peritoneal biopsies is not negligible, there is a low chance that the treatment plan will be altered to include chemotherapy after surgery as a result of the occult microscopic metastases identified.