Mesenteric Lymph Node Metastasis and Nutritional Status After Bowel Resection for Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is one of the three major malignant tumors in gynecology, causing more than 200,000 deaths globally each year, with the highest mortality rate. However, due to its insidious onset and lack of specificity in clinical manifestations, nearly 70% of patients are in advanced stages upon diagnosis. Ovarian cancer often spreads along the peritoneal surface of the abdominal and pelvic cavity and involves the intestines through direct extension or plasma membrane infiltration, resulting in impaired intestinal function and intestinal obstruction. Cytoreductive Surgery is a critical treatment for patients with ovarian cancer. Literature reports that about 60%-70% of patients with advanced ovarian cancer underwent bowel resection at the time of primary debulking surgery, with the main site of resection being the recto-sigmoid (48%-55%), followed by the rest of the colon (18%-20%) and the small bowel (6%-27%). Patients with bowel resection for ovarian cancer often have involvement of mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), and the positive rate of MLN fluctuates from 37% - 79.4%, and the incidence of liver metastasis within 3 years in ovarian cancer patients with MLN involvement is 61.1%. However, ovarian cancer patients with bowel or liver involvement are susceptible to postoperative malnutrition due to their extensive surgery, as well as increased incidence of postoperative complications. Therefore, this study included patients who underwent bowel resection for ovarian cancer, and assessed the patients' MLN metastasis and nutritional status based on the relevant clinical indicators, in order to reduce the incidence of postoperative complications in patients with bowel resection, to improve the patients' prognosis, and to enhance the quality of life.