AIIMS study reveals that removing lymph nodes from these areas may improve survival in ovarian cancer patients

A new study by doctors at AIIMS, Delhi, has found that taking out certain lymph nodes from the pelvis and the back of the abdomen can help women with ovarian cancer live longer. The research was published in the Journal of the Egyptian National Cancer Institute on 11 April.

According to the study, 105 patients with advanced ovarian cancer were analysed. The five-year overall survival rate for these women was 48.9%.

Dr M D Ray, professor in the surgical oncology department at Dr B R Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (AIIMS), and the main author of the study, said, “We found that removing lymph nodes from the pelvic and rear abdominal area in a systematic way can significantly improve a patient’s survival.”


However, he warned that it’s a very difficult surgery because the lymph nodes are located around the main blood vessels connected to the heart. This means the surgery needs to be done by highly trained doctors.

Dr Ray added that these lymph nodes remain important in ovarian cancer, even after chemotherapy, and should be removed to reduce the chance of the cancer coming back.

Ovarian cancer rising in India

In India, ovarian cancer is becoming more common. Every year, nearly one lakh new cases are found. It is now the third most common cancer in Indian women after breast and cervical cancer.

Between 2012 and 2018, 255 women with ovarian cancer had surgery at IRCH. Out of these, 105 women with advanced disease were studied.

All of them had surgery to remove lymph nodes from the pelvis and the back of the abdomen. The study explained that chemotherapy does not kill the cancer in these nodes completely. These leftover cancer cells can later cause the cancer to return.

The researchers also introduced a new scoring system called the Nodal Cancer Index (NCI). This will help doctors decide how much of the lymph nodes to remove, in a more structured way, which could lead to better results for patients.

The study noted that ovarian cancer is now the most deadly gynaecological cancer worldwide. More than two-thirds of the patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage.

Around the world, the main treatment includes surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible, followed by chemotherapy. While new treatments like intraperitoneal chemotherapy are being used in some cases, surgery remains the most important factor in survival.

At the moment, standard treatment does not always include removal of pelvic and rear abdominal lymph nodes. But this study suggests that doing so might offer hope for better outcomes.