Prognostic Significance of Splenectomy as Part of Initial Cytoreductive Surgery in Ovarian Cancer

Note:  a similar paper regarding splenectomy - posted on this blog Sept 6, 2010




PURPOSE: 
 We sought to examine how splenectomy as part of up-front cytoreductive surgery in ovarian cancer influences the postoperative course and affects survival.

CONCLUSIONS: 
 The addition of splenectomy to up-front cytoreductive surgery was feasible and safe. However, it appears to carry with it a shortened survival that is unrelated to postoperative morbidity. Our data raise the questions that splenectomy is needed for optimal cytoreduction in more biologically aggressive disease and that splenectomy may be an independent prognostic factor related to depressed immune function.