# Isolated Liver Recurrence After Cytoreduction in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma: Experience of a Tertiary Center in Turkey

## TL;DR

This study examines survival outcomes in ovarian cancer patients with liver recurrence and finds no significant difference in survival based on the type of recurrence.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into managing isolated liver recurrence in ovarian cancer by showing similar survival outcomes for different recurrence types.

## Key findings

- Patients with capsular liver recurrence had a median recurrence time of 13 months.
- Survival times for both capsular and parenchymal recurrence were not statistically different.
- The study suggests similar treatment approaches for both types of liver recurrence.

## Abstract

Background: Serous epithelial ovarian cancer is typically diagnosed at an advanced stage and often recurs following treatment. Isolated organ recurrence is rare in this disease, making treatment planning a critical decision. Therefore, we investigated the survival rates of patients who developed isolated liver recurrence. Methods: The entire cohort included patients who underwent cytoreductive surgery between January 1993 and December 2020. We evaluated patients who completed primary chemotherapy after cytoreductive surgery based on their status of isolated liver recurrence. We created two groups: patients with isolated parenchymal recurrence and patients with isolated capsular recurrence. Staging was based on the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2014 staging criteria. For patients treated before 2014, cancer staging was adapted to the FIGO 2014 system based on a surgical and pathological assessment. Results: The mean ages of patients with liver capsule and parenchymal recurrence at the time of primary surgery were 47 ± 10.6 and 49 ± 8.9 years, respectively. The median recurrence of patients with capsular recurrence was 13 (2–70) months. In patients with parenchymal recurrence, the duration was 10 months (4–80) and was statistically insignificant. While survival was 41.5 (5–120) months in patients with capsular recurrence, it was 34 (12–120) months in patients with parenchymal recurrence, but there was no statistical difference. Conclusions: In our 27 years’ of experience with EOC management, we have studied patients with isolated liver recurrences. The finding that either capsular or parenchymal liver recurrence has no significant impact on overall survival suggests that both types of recurrence can be managed with similar treatment and follow-up approaches. This observation could simplify patient management and improve outcomes by allowing clinicians to focus on optimal surgical and systemic treatment strategies rather than the anatomic pattern of recurrence.