Partial Cystectomy for Atypical Isolated Recurrence of Ovarian Adenocarcinoma - A Case Report and Literature Review

Background: Most cases with advanced-stage epithelial ovarian malignancies will experience recurrent disease at a certain moment of their evolution, even if maximal cytoreductive surgery has been performed at the moment of initial diagnosis. However, it seems that the best therapeutic strategy, in case of relapse, remains aggressive re-resection, with complete cytoreduction being the most efficient way to improve survival. Materials and Methods: We present the case of a 55-year-old patient diagnosed with an isolated pelvic recurrence after stage IIIC surgically-treated ovarian cancer three years after primary cytoreduction. Results: Intraoperatively, the diagnosis of an isolated pelvic recurrence invading the urinary bladder was confirmed. The recurrent tumor was resected en bloc with partial cystectomy. The postoperative course was uneventful, while histopathological studies confirmed the presence of a poorly differentiated epithelial ovarian recurrent adenocarcinoma. At two year follow-up, the patient is free of any recurrent disease. Conclusion: Isolated pelvic recurrences after surgically-treated ovarian adenocarcinomas can be safely removed and might improve survival.