In ovarian cancer, survival is written in the operating room.

Ovarian cancer is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, because its early symptoms — bloating, abdominal swelling, early fullness, changes in bowel habit — are easy to dismiss. The single strongest factor a patient can influence is the quality of her first operation: complete cytoreduction, meaning no visible tumor left behind, is the goal of modern ovarian cancer surgery and its most important predictor of survival.

Prof. Erdemoğlu developed his ovarian cancer surgery expertise at the Ovarian Cancer Center of the European Institute of Oncology in Milan — assisting operations with the IEO surgical team as a visiting surgeon — and through the ESAGON advanced ovarian cancer surgery program. His current research at Mayo Clinic focuses on fluorescence-guided surgery — using targeted fluorescent agents to reveal microscopic disease the eye cannot see — on which he has published a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Treatment typically combines maximal-effort surgery with chemotherapy, in selected patients with HIPEC (heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy delivered during surgery). Advanced disease involving the bowel, spleen, diaphragm or upper abdomen is managed in a single, multidisciplinary operation. For young women with early disease, fertility-sparing approaches are considered whenever safe.

When to seek consultation:

Persistent bloating or swelling; an ovarian mass with elevated CA-125; a diagnosis of ovarian, tubal or peritoneal cancer; recurrence after previous treatment.