Incidence and effect on survival of abdominal wall metastases at trocar or puncture sites following laparoscopy or paracentesis in women with ovarian cancer

The aim of this retrospective study was to examine the incidence and prognostic significance of abdominal wall metastases in patients with ovarian cancer present at the primary debulking at the entry sites of previous laparoscopy or paracentesis. The clinical records of 219 patients were studied. In 7 of 43 patients (16%) who had undergone laparoscopy and 3 of 30 patients (10%) who had undergone paracentesis previous to the primary debulking, an abdominal wall metastasis had developed at the entry sites. All metastases occurred in patients with FIGO stage IIIC-IV including ascites. Survival analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model showed that after adjustment for age, FIGO stage, histology, grade, ascites, and residual disease after primary debulking, the presence of abdominal wall metastases in the entry sites of previous laparoscopy or paracentesis was negatively, although not statistical significantly, correlated with survival (P =0.14). (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.