Improved prognosis for recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer by early diagnosis and 125I seeds implantation during suboptimal secondary cytoreductive surgery: a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) has the worst prognosis in all of gynecologic malignant tumors because of its high recurrence and eventually chemo-resistance. Early diagnosis of recurrence is crucial to avoid diffuse dissemination. Failure of traditional treatment in recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer remains a challenge for clinicians. On the other hand, I brachytherapy has been accepted as a useful and hopeful treatment for multiple advanced cancers in recent years. However, its success in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer is limited. Here we report a case of recurrent ovarian cancer who had been early diagnosis of isolated recurrence and successfully treated with I seeds implantation during suboptimal cytoreductive surgery.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 59-year-old woman presented with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer who have had a history of ovarian cancer stage IIIB and an R0 resection had been achieved nearly 2 years before presented in our hospital. She underwent suboptimal secondary cytoreductive surgery after four cycles of chemotherapy with little effectiveness and severe chemotherapy-related side effects. Approximately 70% of the cancer-bulk was resected during surgery. For residual lesion which fixed around the right ureter and right external iliac vessel, I seeds implantation was performed. Postoperatively, the patient was treated with two cycles of combination chemotherapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin. The patient was free of disease at 26 months' follow-up period.

CONCLUSION

In recurrent EOC patients with unresectable isolated lesion, salvage 125I seeds implantation are feasible and may contribute to survival.