Distal gastrectomy as part of debulking surgery for advanced stage ovarian cancer

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is characterized through a high capacity of spread via multiple pathways such as peritoneal, hematogenous or lymphatic route. Therefore, upper abdominal involvement might be encountered; in such cases extended visceral resections might be needed in order to achieve radical cytoreductive surgery. The aim of the current paper is to report the cases of three patients diagnosed with extended upper abdominal lesions and in which distal gastrectomy was successfully associated. Postoperatively a single case developed a postoperative leak which was successfully treated in a conservative manner. In all cases the histopathological studies demonstrated the presence of tumoral involvement of the gastric wall. In conclusion, gastrectomy can be safely associated as part of debulking surgery for advanced stage ovarian cancer in order to increase the chances to obtain long term survival.