Systematic review of laparoscopic comprehensive staging surgery in early stage ovarian cancer: A meta-analysis

ObjectiveTo assess the clinical outcomes of laparoscopic comprehensive staging surgery in early stage ovarian cancer.Materials and methodsElectronic literature searches were conducted in Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, China Biology Medicine, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and literature on laparoscopy versus laparotomy for comprehensive staging surgery was retrieved. The literature was selected according to certain inclusion criteria. Data were extracted from these studies and the quality of the included studies was assessed. The meta-analysis was conducted using the Review Manager 5.2 software.ResultsA total of 11 nonrandomized controlled trials involving 591 cases were included. The pooled data indicated less intraoperative blood loss, lower postoperative complication rates, shorter postoperative hospital stays, and lower postoperative recurrence rates in the laparoscopy group. There were no significant differences in operative time, harvested lymph node number, intraoperative complications, or mortality.ConclusionFor comprehensive staging surgery, laparoscopy was equivalent to or even better than conventional laparotomy for early ovarian cancer. More robust evidence should be explored for precise verification.