Publication:

Retrospective analysis of patients undergoing retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for carcinoma ovary comparing CT and histopathology: a single centre study

Background Ovarian cancer accounts for a large portion of female genital cancer and most are now detected in early stages. Importance is now placed on less radical surgeries and the exact role of RPLNDs is yet to be defined. The aim of the study is to analyse the clinicopathological status of patients who underwent retroperitoneal lymphnode dissection (RPLND) for carcinoma ovary and compare the size of the node on computerised tomography (CT) of abdomen with node positivity on histopathology (HPE). This is the first such study correlating CT findings of lymph node with pathological lympho-vascular invasion in RPLNDs done for carcinoma ovary from the Indian Subcontinent verified by literature search.

Methods A retrospective study of all patients who underwent RPLND diagnosed with ovarian cancer in our hospital over a period of 5 years (2011-15).

Results 41 patients with ovarian cancer who underwent RPLND were evaluated. Average age of study population was 49 years. Average tumor size was 9 cm. Analysis of para-aortic node size on CT abdomen with node positivity on HPE, a size criterion of 14mm or more was associated with node positivity. Analysis of correlation between size of the tumor and size of para-aortic node to para-aortic node positivity on HPE were both insignificant. There is correlation between size of the tumor to lymphovascular invasion on HPE.

Conclusions The primary tumor size and para-aortic lymph node size can predict lymphovascular invasion and a node size criterion of 14mm or more on CT can predict node positivity.