Abstract
From 1968 to 1975, 201 women had prophylactic oophorectomy at the time of definitive large-bowel resection, while in 134 patients oophorectomy was not performed. Oophorectomy was performed more commonly in women with cancer of the rectum and rectosigmoid. More patients undergoing oophorectomy had Dukes' C primary carcinoma. Four patients undergoing synchronous oophorectomy (2.0 per cent) had ovarian involvement or metastases from large-bowel cancer. Three patients (2.2 per cent) developed subsequent ovarian disease: two cases of ovarian carcinoma and one case of ovarian metastases from primary breast cancer. No late ovarian recurrences of large-bowel cancer were seen during this study. No patient with ovarian involvement or metastases from large-bowel cancer survive five years nor was the overall survival of the group of women undergoing oophorectomy materially affected. While stage and site significantly influenced survival, oophorectomy, menopausal status, preoperative irradiation, tumor size, and degree of differentiation had no influence. The prevention of primary ovarian cancer in postmenopausal women is considered to be the main benefit of bilateral prophylactic oophorectomy. Selective recommendations for oophorectomy under other circumstances are discussed.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Chlyvitch B. Contribution a l'etude du cancer du rectum ches la femme. Paris Theses 1924;12:1–98.
Burt CA. Prophylactic oophorectomy with resection of the large bowel for cancer. Am J Surg 1951;82:571–7.
Rendleman DF, Gilchrist RK. Indications for oophorectomy in carcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract. Surg Gynecol Obstet 1959;109:364–6.
Sherman LF, Tenner RJ, Chadborun WA. Prophylactic oophorectomy with carcinoma of the rectum and colon. Dis Colon Rectum 1964;7:517–20.
Antoniades K, Spector HB, Hecksher RH Jr. Prophylactic oophorectomy in conjunction with large-bowel resection for cancer: report of two cases. Dis Colon Rectum 1977;20:506–10.
Stearns MW Jr, Deddish MR. Five-year results of abdominopelvic lymph node dissection for carcinoma of the rectum. Dis Colon Rectum 1959;2:169–72.
Quan SH, Sehdev MK. Pelvic surgery concomitant with bowel resection for carcinoma. Surg Clin North Am 1974;54:881–6.
MacKeigan JM, Ferguson JA. Prophylactic oophorectomy and colorectal cancer in premenopausal patients. Dis Colon Rectum 1979;22:401–5.
Burt CA. Carcinoma of the ovaries secondary to cancer of the colon and rectum. Dis Colon Rectum 1960;3:352–7.
Knoepp LF Jr, Ray JE, Overby I. Ovarian metastases from colorectal carcinoma. Dis Colon Rectum 1973;16:305–11.
Barr SS, Valiente MA, Bacon HE. Rationale of bilateral oophorectomy concomitant with resection for carcinoma of the rectum and colon. Dis Colon Rectum 1962;5:450–2.
Dukes CE. The classification of cancer of the rectum. J Pathol 1932;35:323–32.
Peto R, Peto J. Asymptotically efficient rank invariant procedures. J Roy Stat Soc 1972;135:185–207.
Kaplan EL, Meier P. Non parametric estimation from incomplete observations. J Am Stat Assoc 1958;53:457–81.
Blamey SL, McDermott FT, Pihl E, Hughes ES. Resected ovarian recurrence from colorectal adenocarcinoma: a study of 13 cases. Dis Colon Rectum 1981;24:272–5.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Read at the meeting of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, San Francisco, California, May 2 to 6, 1982.
About this article
Cite this article
Cutait, R., Lesser, M.L. & Enker, W.E. Prophylactic oophorectomy in surgery for large-bowel cancer. Dis Colon Rectum 26, 6–11 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02554669
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02554669