Survival Benefit Associated With Surgical Oophorectomy in Patients With Colorectal Cancer Metastatic to the Ovary

The ovaries are an uncommon site of metastases from colorectal cancer. This retrospective study evaluated outcomes in patients with ovarian metastases from colorectal cancer who were seen at a single institution. There was an improved outcome in patients who underwent oophorectomy, both those who had synchronous and those who had metachronous ovarian metastases; this suggests that palliative oophorectomy may be associated with a survival benefit. Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the outcome of patients with colorectal cancer metastatic to the ovary and the impact of surgical oophorectomy on the outcome. Methods: We conducted a retrospective evaluation of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer to the ovary. Of 3776 female patients with colorectal cancer seen at MD Anderson from 2001-2008, 110 (2.9%) were identified as having metastases to the ovary. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to examine the survival functions. Results: Seventy-one patients (64.5%) had disease metastatic to the ovary at the time of initial presentation; in 39 patients (35.5%) the ovaries were a site of relapse after previous curative colorectal surgical resection. Patients who presented with ovarian relapse after previous colorectal surgery and who underwent oophorectomy had a median survival of 50 months compared with 12 months for those who did not (P < .0001). Patients with metastatic disease at the time of presentation who underwent oophorectomy had a median survival of 39.4 months vs. 18.2 months for those who did not. Conclusions: This retrospective analysis suggests that women with metastatic colorectal cancer metastatic to the ovary may derive a survival benefit from palliative oophorectomy.