Prognostic Significance of Systematic Lymphadenectomy in Patients With Optimally Debulked Advanced Ovarian Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background: The effect of systematic lymphadenectomy (SL) on survival in patients with optimally debulked advanced ovarian cancer remains unclear. We evaluated the therapeutic value of SL in advanced ovarian cancer patients who underwent primary optimal debulking surgery. Methods: A meta-analysis was carried out using articles retrieved from the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were compared between patients who received underwent SL and those thatwho received underwent unsystematic lymphadenectomy (USL). Results: Seven studies that included 2,425 patients with advanced ovarian cancer were included in the meta-analysis. The overall analyses indicated significantly improved OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.64, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.49–0.84, P < 0.01), but not PFS (HR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.69–1.15, P = 0.38) in patients thatwho received underwent SL compared to those thatwho received underwent USL. Subgroup analyses based on study type, study quality, total numbers of patients, and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage provided similar results. However, subgroup analysis of patients with no residuale tumor found revealed that SL was not associated with improved OS (HR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.66–1.00, P = 0.05) or PFS (HR = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.91–1.30, P = 0.33). Conclusions: In patients with optimally debulked advanced ovarian cancer, SL may improve OS but not PFS. However, SL does not provide a survival advantage when macroscopically complete resection of all visible tumors is achieved.