Surgical management for ovarian cancer: Survey of practice among Thai gynecologic oncologists

Abstract

© Journal of The Medical Association of Thailand Objective: To describe the practice landscape among Thai gynecologic oncologists toward the surgical management of ovarian cancer obtained from the Thai Gynecologic Cancer Society (TGCS) Survey. Material and Methods: The present study was a part of the national practice survey on the management of gynecologic cancer in Thailand. All Thai gynecologic oncologists were targeted for the TGCS survey. The present study analyzed data regarding the surgical treatment of ovarian cancer. Results: Of 170 respondents, one-third of the respondents reported routinely assessing tumor volume and location by pre-operative imaging. Respondents in private and secondary hospitals were more likely to perform pre-operative imaging than those in governmental and tertiary hospitals (72.2% versus 34.2% and 71.4% versus 31.7%). Most of the respondents (94.7%) reported routinely performing lymphadenectomy in presumed early-stage cancer. In the advanced-stage, most of the respondents (71.3%) reported selectively performing lymphadenectomy only in women with clinically suspicious metastasis or when optimal cytoreduction could be attained. Respondents with practice duration less than 5 years were less likely to routinely perform lymphadenectomy in women with advanced-stage disease compared to those with longer practice duration (14.1% versus 39.6%). The respondents with long duration of practice were more likely to perform secondary cytoreduction than those who had fewer experiences (77.8% versus 56.3%). Conclusion: This survey indicated variations of some practices on the surgical treatment of ovarian cancer in Thailand including pre-surgical imaging assessment, a pattern of lymph node dissection, and secondary cytoreduction for recurrent disease.