Tertiary cytoreduction in the setting of recurrent ovarian cancer (Review)

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy, with aggressive surgical debulking and adjuvant chemotherapy as the main treatment modalities. Optimal debulking during the primary surgery is significantly correlated with prolonged survival. As surgical techniques and chemotherapeutic agents improve, more patients with prolonged survival may face secondary and tertiary recurrences. The role of surgical debulking in secondary cytoreduction (SC) is not clearly defined and is based on retrospective series. The treatment of patients with primary or secondary recurrences generally consists of second-line chemotherapy, but may be performed on medically fit patients in certain circumsta…