Potential Risks of Severe Infection Following the Exploratory Laparoscopy for Advanced Ovarian Cancer: A Case Report and a Literature Review

TL;DR

A case report highlights the risk of severe abdominal infection after exploratory laparoscopy in advanced ovarian cancer patients.

Contribution

The report emphasizes the under-recognized risks of exploratory laparoscopy in advanced ovarian cancer.

Findings

A patient developed a severe abdominal abscess after exploratory laparoscopy and chemotherapy.

The infection led to delayed chemotherapy and surgical challenges due to bowel adhesion.

The case underscores the need for more safety studies on laparoscopy in advanced cancer patients.

Abstract

Although exploratory laparoscopy in patients with advanced ovarian cancer is a diagnostic tool for determining treatment strategy, its safety has not been completely investigated. We report a case involving a severe abdominal abscess following an exploratory laparoscopy. A 65-year-old woman with advanced ovarian cancer developed a large abdominal abscess following exploratory laparoscopy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Emergent laparotomy was performed; while massive bowel adhesion surrounding the abscess did not allow for genital organ resection, an incision in the left port area was made to drain the abscess. The patient’s chemotherapy was delayed because she experienced sub-ileus, postoperatively. Only a limited number of studies have been conducted on the safety of these techniques. This intense infection case emphasizes the need for further investigations into the safety of exploratory laparoscopy in patients with progressive diseases under heterogeneous conditions in real-world settings.

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