Purpose: The practice of exenterative surgery is sometimes controversial and has garnered a certain scepticism. Surgical studies are difficult to conduct due to insufficient data. The aim of this review is to present the current standing of pelvic exenteration from a surgical, gynaecological and urological point of view. Methods: This review is based upon a literature review (MEDLINE (PubMed), CENTRAL (Cochrane) and EMBASE (Elsevier)) of retrospective studies on exenterative surgery from 1993–2020. Using MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) search terms, 1572 publications were found. These were evaluated and screened with respect to their eligibility using algorithms and well-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Therefore, the guidelines for systematic reviews (PRISMA) were used. Results: A complete tumour resection (R0) often represents the only curative option for advanced pelvic carcinomas and their recurrences. A recent systematic review showed significant symptom relief in 80% of palliative patients after pelvic exenteration. Surgical limitations (distant metastases, involvement of the pelvic wall, etc.) are diminished by adequate surgical expertise and close interdisciplinary cooperation. While the mortality rate is low (2–5%), the still relatively high morbidity rate (32–84%) can be minimized by optimizing the perioperative setting. Following exenterations, roughly 79–82% of patients report satisfying results according to PROs (patient-reported outcomes). Conclusion: Due to multimodality treatment strategies combined with extended surgical expertise and patients’ preferences, pelvic exenteration can be offered nowadays with low mortality and acceptable postoperative quality of life. The possibilities of surgical treatment are often underestimated. A multi-centre database (PelvEx Collaborative) was established to collect data and experiences to optimize the research in this field.

Background/Aim: This study investigated the cardiophrenic lymph node (CPLN) status before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), as its presence seems to have a rather prognostic significance in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Patients and Methods: The baseline computed tomography scans of 66 patients with advanced ovarian cancer primary treated with NACT between March 2015 and June 2020 were reviewed. A CPLN enlargement was defined as ≥5 mm. Results: 44% (n=29) of the patients had enlarged CPLNs; 10.7% (n=3) showed a complete response, 71.4% (n=20) a partial response, and 17.9% (n=5) a stable disease after NACT. There was no significant difference between the response to NACT measured according to the status of CPLN compared to other biomarkers in the CPLN group. Conclusion: Patients with CPLN enlargement have a tendency to an impaired prognosis. The response of CPLN to NACT was comparable to the response of established biomarkers, adding a monitoring function to the CPLN.

Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD) is a rare n eurological disorder in cancer patients, characterized by a widespread loss of Purkinje cells associated with a progressive pancerebellar dysfunction. Furthermore, PCD is characterized by acute or subacute onset of neurological symptoms such as cerebellar ataxia, dysarthria and nystagmus due to tumor-induced autoimmunity against cerebellar antigens. It is believed that anti-Yo occurs usually in women and is most likely associated with gynecologic or breast cancers. PCD often precedes the cancer diagnosis by months to years. Here, we present a case involving a 52-year-old woman who developed PCD symptoms two months before the diagnosis of ovarian cancer, which was associated with high levels of anti-Yo antibodies