Successful complete laparoscopic staging of ovarian cancer in a patient with a 17 cm malignant ovarian tumor

---

Greg J Marchand

Marchand OBGYN Department of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Mesa, USA

: Androl Gynecol: Curr Res

Abstract

---

A 47-year-old nulligravid, morbidly obese, Caucasian female had a history of a 6 cm left adnexal cystic mass that had been followed for greater than two years. During that time, there was no significant change in character of the mass and the patient’s CA-125 levels remained within normal limits for a pre-menopausal female. The patient had an onset of severe lower pelvic pain following a vigorous workout and arrived to the Emergency Department complaining of severe primarily lower abdominal and pelvic pain. Trans-vaginal ultrasound and computed tomography scan revealed a large right-sided complex adnexal mass. In recent years, the use of electro-mechanical morcellation in gynecological surgeries has become a point of controversy. The United States Food and Drug Administration released a safety communication in 2014 on the risks of dissemination of malignancies when using electro-mechanical morcellation. This new technique effectively minimizes these risks by using blunt instruments to cautiously transfer a large mass into a containment bag for morcellation and removal, while avoiding rupture of the bag itself. After this patient’s tumor was removed, the remainder of the staging procedure was also able to be completed laparoscopically, an outcome that can make a very large difference to cancer patients especially. This method opens up discussion on more widespread use of minimally invasive surgery. If further studies support its efficacy in preventing tissue dissemination, it has the potential to lead to an increase in candidates for laparoscopy, the removal of larger masses through smaller holes, and ultimately better outcomes for patients.

Biography

---

Greg J Marchand is a board certified Ob-Gyn who leads a practice focusing on minimally invasive surgery in Mesa, AZ. He has extensively published his research work in minimally invasive surgery and has several world records regarding laparoscopic surgical achievements. He is a Research Director in Department of Minimally Invasive Surgical at Marchand OBGYN. He is graduated from Arizona State University (ASU).