Transabdominal Biopsy is a Poor Prognostic Factor in Stage-IV Ovarian Carcinoma

ABSTRACT This study investigates the clinical, pathologic, and treatment-related factors in patients with stage-IV ovarian-type carcinomas and the related prognosis. The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (Iowa City, IA) Gynecologic Oncology Tumor data bank was analyzed for cases of stage-IV epithelial ovarian carcinoma and peritoneal carcinoma during the 10-year period from January 1987 through and including December 1996. Patient charts were abstracted for pertinent data including demographic variables, clinical features, and histopathologic characteristics. Thirty five cases of stage-IV ovarian and peritoneal carcinoma were treated during the 10-year period concluding in December 1996. Five of these patients had transabdominal biopsy of a solid lesion via a laparoscope or a percutaneous needle prior to referral. The mean survival of the transabdominal biopsy group was significantly less than that of the other stage-IV patients, 9.4 versus 37.0 months (p = 0.004). Laparoscopic trocar site metastas...