PONDER: Pelvic Peritonectomy in Early Stage Ovarian Tumors

Overview

Early-stage ovarian tumors represent approximately 30% of all newly diagnosed ovarian cancers. Current international guidelines recommend random peritoneal biopsies for surgical staging, but the diagnostic yield of these biopsies remains limited. The PONDER study aims to evaluate whether standardized surgical procedure and pathology assessment of wider peritoneal pelvic biopsies can increase the detection rate of microscopic peritoneal implants and micrometastases in patients with early-stage ovarian tumors. This multicenter, prospective, single-arm study includes both minimally invasive and open surgical approaches, with a standardized gross and microscopic evaluation of the resected peritoneal specimens

The study focuses on the excision of anatomically defined pelvic peritoneal areas, with meticulous dissection of the retroperitoneal spaces and a nerve-sparing approach. Combined with a specific pathology protocol, this strategy improves the detection of microscopic peritoneal involvement and provides new insights into the mechanisms of pelvic recurrence

Conditions