Surgical Staging
Surgical staging is done to fully assess the extent of disease. It involves removing all visible disease. The ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus are also removed. In addition the omentum, lymph nodes, and other organs may also be removed. The results help determine the need for additional therapy. This is usually chemotherapy, but it depends on the surgical findings.
This surgery needs to be performed by a gynecologic oncologist. This is the kind of doctor who is most familiar with the treatment of this cancer. That offers the patient the best chance of survival.
There is no formal staging system for PPC. Because treatment is so similar to treatment for ovarian cancer, it is staged in a similar fashion. Nearly all patients will have Stage III disease or higher. That’s because there is no specific organ of origin other than the peritoneal lining. Patients with PPC may have fluid around the lung. This is known as a pleural effusion. If an effusion is there, some fluid may be removed. It will then be examined for tumor cells. If tumor cells are found, the patient has Stage IV disease.