Palliative pelvic exenteration--futility revisited.

In a retrospective review of 23 pelvic exenterations performed at Miami Valley Hospital, 8 were considered to be palliative procedures because of pelvic or paraaortic lymph node metastases, pelvic peritoneal involvement, pelvic sidewall extension, or distant spread. Following palliative exenteration, morbidity and mortality were high, survival was low, and quality of life was uniformly poor. With rare exceptions, pelvic exenteration as a palliative procedure should not be deliberately performed.