# Debulking (cytoreductive surgery)

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/debulking/  
OnCo record `debulking` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Surgery that removes as much tumour as possible when it cannot all be removed cleanly; leaving nothing visible behind is what matters.

## Summary

Central to ovarian cancer, where survival tracks the residual disease after surgery: complete cytoreduction (no visible tumour) is the goal. Primary debulking is done first if feasible; otherwise three cycles of carboplatin-paclitaxel are followed by interval debulking (EORTC 55971, CHORUS). Secondary cytoreduction at platinum-sensitive relapse helps selected patients (DESKTOP III) but not unselected ones (GOG-0213). Cytoreductive surgery plus HIPEC is used for peritoneal disease from appendix, colorectal and ovarian cancers, and cytoreductive nephrectomy in kidney cancer.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-09
- Also known as: cytoreductive surgery; cytoreduction; cytoreductive; primary debulking; interval debulking; interval cytoreduction; secondary cytoreduction; complete cytoreduction; optimal debulking

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debulking
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debulking

## Connected records

- terms: [HIPEC (hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy)](https://onco.cc/terms/hipec-procedure/), [Intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy](https://onco.cc/terms/intraperitoneal-chemotherapy/), [Neoadjuvant / adjuvant / perioperative](https://onco.cc/terms/neoadjuvant-adjuvant/), [Nephrectomy](https://onco.cc/terms/nephrectomy/), [Palliation in colorectal cancer: obstruction, stents, stomas and liver capsule pain](https://onco.cc/terms/colorectal-palliation-obstruction-pain/), [Peritoneum and peritoneal metastases](https://onco.cc/terms/peritoneum/)
- cancers: [Cancer of unknown primary, favourable subsets](https://onco.cc/cancers/cup-favourable-subsets/), [Colorectal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/colorectal/), [Low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm and pseudomyxoma peritonei](https://onco.cc/cancers/low-grade-appendiceal-mucinous-neoplasm/), [Ovarian cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/ovarian/), [Renal cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/rcc/)
- fronts: [Surgery & Interventional](https://onco.cc/fronts/surgery/)
- technologies: [HIPEC / PIPAC (intraperitoneal chemotherapy)](https://onco.cc/technologies/hipec/)
- trials: [Netherlands Cancer Institute HIPEC trial](https://onco.cc/trials/netherlands-hipec/), [PRODIGE 7](https://onco.cc/trials/prodige-7/)

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