COMPARISON OF OPEN VS. MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGICAL STAGING IN EARLY-STAGE OVARIAN CANCER

Background: Early-stage ovarian cancer is a critical area of study, where accurate staging plays a vital role in determining prognosis and treatment strategies. Surgical staging is considered the gold standard in managing early-stage ovarian cancer, yet the comparative impact on quality of life (QOL) between surgical and clinical staging remains underexplored. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of surgical staging procedures on the quality of life in patients with presumed early-stage ovarian cancer. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted over one year at Lahore General Hospital, involving 56 participants. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: the control group (clinical staging) and the experimental group (surgical staging). Inclusion criteria were women aged 18 years or older with early-stage ovarian or uterine abdominal masses, elevated tumor markers (β-HCG, α-FP, CA 125), and the ability to provide informed consent. Exclusion criteria included metastasis, prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy, pregnancy, or uncontrolled medical conditions. The quality of life was measured using the FACT-O scale, assessing physical, social, emotional, and functional well-being, as well as concerns related to ovarian cancer. Results: Data from 50 participants were analyzed. The average age of patients was 45.64 ± 14.95 years. Most participants were diagnosed with Stage 1 ovarian cancer (62%). The surgical staging group reported significantly higher quality of life scores across all domains—Physical Well-Being (PWB), Social Well-Being (SWB), Emotional Well-Being (EWB), Functional Well-Being (FWB), and Additional Concerns (ACO)—with p-values of 0.000 for all comparisons. Conclusion: Surgical staging significantly improves the quality of life in patients with early-stage ovarian cancer, particularly in physical, emotional, and social well-being, when compared to clinical staging. This highlights the superior impact of surgical staging on patient outcomes and quality of life.