The If and When of Surgical Debulking for Ovarian Carcinoma

Celomic epithelial carcinoma of the ovary, in contrast to most other gynecologic cancers, often causes no symptoms in its early stages and is usually diagnosed only after it has spread to other parts of the peritoneal cavity or to more distant sites. As a result, curative surgical resection is not an option for most patients. Moreover, ovarian carcinoma, unlike most other solid tumors, typically spreads by seeding throughout the peritoneal cavity. For these reasons, the disease is most commonly diagnosed at stage III, in which the process is grossly confined to the peritoneal cavity. Such cases are not amenable to . . .