Controversies in borderline ovarian tumors

Borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) represent about 15% to 20% of all ovarian malignancies and differ from invasive ovarian cancers (IOCs) by many characters. Historically, standard management of BOT is peritoneal washing cytology, hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, omentectomy, complete peritoneal resection of macroscopic lesions; in case of mucinous BOTs, appendectomy should be performed. Because BOTs are often diagnosed at earlier stage, in younger age women and have better prognosis, higher survival rate than IOCs, fertility-sparing surgery is one of the option to preserve childbearing capacity. The study of such conservative surgery is being released, and still controversial. After surgery, pregnancy and ovarian induction followed by in vitro fertilization are also significant issues. In surgery, laparoscopic technique can be used by a gynecologic oncology surgeon. So far postoperative chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy are not recommended. We will discuss controversial issues of BOTs on this review and present the outline of the management of BOTs.     

Borderline ovarian tumors diagnosed during pregnancy exhibit a high incidence of aggressive features: results of a French multicenter study

BackgroundThe purpose of the current study was to evaluate the characteristics of borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) diagnosed during pregnancy.Patients and methodsWe conducted a retrospective multicenter study of 40 patients with BOTs diagnosed during pregnancy between 1997 and 2009 at five tertiary universitary departments of Gynecology and Obstetrics and one French cancer center. The medical records were reviewed to determine surgical procedure, histology, restaging surgery and recurrence.ResultsMean patient age was 30.2 ± 5.4 years. Most BOTs were diagnosed during the first trimester of pregnancy (62%). Salpingo-oophorectomy (N = 24) was more frequently performed than cystectomy (N = 11) during pregnancy (P = 0.01). Only two patients had an initial complete staging. BOTs were mucinous, serous and mixed in 48%, 42% and 10% of patients, respectively. Twenty-one percent of mucinous BOTs exhibited intraepithelial carcinoma or microinvasion. Forty-seven percent of serous BOTs exhibited micropapillary features, noninvasive implants or microinvasion. Restaging surgery performed in 52% patients resulted in upstaging in 24% of cases. Recurrence rate in patients with serous BOT with micropapillary features or peritoneal implants was 7.5%.ConclusionsBOTs diagnosed during pregnancy exhibit a high incidence of aggressive features and are rarely completely staged initially. Given this setting, up-front salpingo-oophorectomy should be considered and restaging planned.     

Fertility-sparing surgery for women with stage I cervical cancer of 4 cm or larger: a systematic review

ObjectiveTo investigate current evidence on oncological, fertility and obstetric outcomes of patients with stage I cervical cancer of 4 cm or larger undergoing fertility-sparing surgery (FSS).MethodsSystematic review of studies including women affected by stage I cervical cancer ≥4 cm who underwent FSS. Main outcome measures: disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), pregnancy rate, live birth rate, premature delivery rate.ResultsFifteen studies met all eligibility criteria for this systematic review, involving 48 patients affected by cervical cancer ≥4 cm who completed FSS. Three patients (6.3%) experienced a recurrence and one of them (2.1%) died of disease. The 5-year DFS rate was 92.4%. The 5-year OS rate was 97.6%. A significantly shorter 5-year DFS was reported for high-risk patients (G3, non-squamous histotype, diameter ≥5 cm) compared with low-risk (74.7% vs. 100%; log-rank test, p=0.024). Data about fertility outcomes were available for 12 patients. Five patients out of 12 (41.7%) attempted to conceive with an estimated pregnancy rate of 80%, a live birth rate of 83.3% and a premature delivery rate of 20%.ConclusionWomen with high tumor grade, aggressive histology and tumor size ≥5 cm have a higher risk of recurrence. Oncologic outcomes are encouraging among low-risk patients; however, the lack of high-quality studies makes it difficult to draw any firm conclusions. Prospective multicentric clinical trials with a proper selection of inclusion/exclusion criteria should be conducted in women with low-risk factors, strong desire to preserve their fertility and high likelihood to conceive.     

Borderline tumours of the ovary and fertility

Standard management of borderline ovarian tumours (BOT) is historically radical and based on hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and peritoneal staging. But, as 1/3 of BOTs are diagnosed in patients aged less than 40 years, treatments preserving fertility-potential (with preservation of the uterus and at least part of one ovary) has seen great developments in the last decade. Such treatments increase the rate of recurrences (between 15% and 35% depending on the type of conservative surgery), but without any impact on patient survival as most recurrent diseases are of the borderline type, easily curable and with excellent prognosis. The spontaneous pregnancy rate is nearly 50%. In case of persistent infertility, it seems that the use of ovarian induction or in vitro fertilization procedures could be proposed in selected cases. Follow-up is essential and based on clinical examination and routine ultrasonography. The interest of completion surgery (removal of the retained ovary) in patients who obtained pregnancy remains debated. In conclusion, conservative management of at least part of one ovary and uterus could be safely proposed at least to patients with early stage BOT, in order to preserve fertility-potential. The rate of recurrence is increased but without any impact on survival.     

Risk of specific types of ovarian cancer after borderline ovarian tumors in Denmark: A nationwide study

Population-based evidence regarding risk of ovarian cancer after a borderline ovarian tumor (BOT) is sparse. We aimed to examine the incidence of specific types of ovarian cancer in women with serous or mucinous BOTs in a nationwide cohort study with up to 36 years of follow-up. Using the nationwide Danish Pathology Data Bank, we identified 4,281 women with a BOT (2,058 serous BOTs and 2,223 mucinous BOTs) in Denmark during 1978–2012. We computed standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) to compare the incidence of ovarian cancer among women with BOTs compared to general population rates. We found that a serous BOT was especially and strongly associated with subsequent serous ovarian cancer (SIR = 9.2; 95% CI: 6.8–12.2), and that a mucinous BOT was strongly related to mucinous ovarian cancer (SIR = 18.6; 95% CI: 10.8–29.8). The SIRs remained elevated ≥10 years after a serous BOT and up to 5–9 years after a mucinous BOT. The increased incidence of serous ovarian cancer in women with a serous BOT was mostly pronounced in women <50 years at the serous BOT diagnosis. In conclusion, women with a serous BOT experience long-term increased incidence of serous ovarian cancer, and women with a mucinous BOT have long-term elevated incidence of mucinous ovarian cancer compared to the general population. This is the first population-based study to show compelling evidence of the histo-specific increased risk of ovarian cancer following specific types of BOTs. Thus, these results are supportive of the hypothesis that BOTs may be precursor lesions to carcinomas of the corresponding histologic type.     

Borderline tumours of the ovary: A cohort study of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynäkologische Onkologie (AGO) Study Group

BackgroundBorderline ovarian tumours (BOTs) are recognised as a unique entity of ovarian tumours that do not exert infiltrative destructive growth or stromal invasion. Prognosis of BOT is much better compared to the more common invasive epithelial ovarian cancer. Information regarding prognostic factors is inconclusive and no prospective studies exist that evaluate therapeutic strategies. We therefore started a retrospective–prospective cohort study to better understand BOT and identify scenarios in which future studies could be developed.MethodsConsecutive patients with BOT treated between 1998 and 2008 in 24 German centres were analysed. The retrospective part of the study retrieved patients’ data from hospital records and clinical tumour registries while active follow-up and an independent central pathology review were carried out prospectively.FindingsBOT was confirmed in 950 patients, two thirds had serous BOT and 30.5% mucinous BOT. Most were diagnosed in stage I (82.3%); 7.6% and 10.1% had stages II and III, respectively. Overall, 74 patients (7.8%) experienced relapse and 43 (4.5%) died within the observation period. Multivariate analysis revealed higher stage, incomplete staging, tumour residuals, and organ preservation as independent prognostic factors for disease recurrence. Neither microinvasion nor micropapillary growth pattern showed any significant impact. Of 74 relapsed patients, 30% had malignant transformation to invasive ovarian cancer with five-year progression-free survival and overall survival of 12% and 50%, respectively.InterpretationPrognosis of BOT correlates with tumour-related as well as surgery-related factors. The balance between recurrence risk and organ preservation and fertility-sparing surgery is an important issue deserving further research.     

卵巢交界性肿瘤的临床特征及诊治进展

交界性卵巢肿瘤生物学行为介于良性与恶性肿瘤之间,具有核异型性、核分裂象,但无间质浸润。手术切除是治疗交界性卵巢肿瘤的主要方法,但由于多发生于生育年龄妇女,且诊断常发生在术中,缺乏确切的术前诊断标准,而且多数患者都要求保留生育能力,因此交界性卵巢肿瘤的早期诊断、保守性治疗、术后化疗、术后生育功能都存在着争议。本文对近年来卵巢交界性肿瘤临床特征、诊断及治疗进行综述。     

Fertility sparing surgery for early-stage clear cell carcinoma of the ovary; A systematic review and analysis of obstetric outcomes

Clear cell carcinoma of the ovary (CCOC), accounts for 5–25% of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cases. A significant proportion of patients with CCOC are of reproductive age, wishing to preserve their fertility. The application of fertility sparing surgery (FSS) in those patients has been extensively criticized, due to the high reported recurrence rates and chemotherapy resistance. The aim of the present study was to accumulate the current knowledge on obstetric and fertility outcomes of patients with early stage CCOC who underwent fertility sparing surgery.A meticulous search of 3 electronic databases was conducted for articles published up to June 2020 relevant in the field using the terms “ovarian cancer”, “clear cell”, “fertility sparing”, “conservative treatment”. Studies that reported pregnancy and maternal outcomes after fertility sparing surgery for the management of early stage CCOC were considered eligible.A total of 5 studies which comprised of 60 patients with early stage CCOC, who underwent fertility-sparing surgery, were reviewed. Ten patients (16.6%) had disease recurrence. The total clinical pregnancy rate of 32% with a proportion of 24% of live birth rates in 12 of the included patients. The median interval from surgery to pregnancy was 41.5 months, while no evidence of disease was recorded among the patients who achieved pregnancy. No difference in survival and recurrence rates among patients who underwent fertility-sparing surgery and those who had radical surgical procedures.Fertility-sparing treatment for International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Stage IA/IC CCOC seems to be an acceptable treatment option for selected premenopausal women who strongly wish to preserve their childbearing potential. However, larger studies are needed to validate the safety of the procedure.     

Analysis of the Safety and Pregnancy Outcomes of Fertility-sparing Surgery in Ovarian Malignant Sex Cord-stromal Tumours: A Multicentre Retrospective Study

AimsTo assess the difference in survival between fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) and radical surgery and explore pregnancy outcomes after FSS in stage I malignant sex cord-stromal tumours (MSCSTs).Materials and methodsWe carried out a multicentre retrospective cohort study on patients who were diagnosed with MSCSTs and the tumour was confined to one ovary. The patients were divided into FSS and radical surgery groups. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to balance variables between the two groups. Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to compare the difference in disease-free survival (DFS). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to find risk factors of DFS. Univariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess risk factors of pregnancy.ResultsIn total, 107 patients were included, of whom 54 (50.5%) women underwent FSS and 53 (49.5%) received radical surgery. After IPTW, a pseudo-population of 208 was determined and all of the covariates were well balanced. After a median follow-up time of 50 months (range 7–156 months), 10 patients experienced recurrence and two died. There was no significant difference in DFS between the two groups, both in unweighted (P = 0.969) or weighted cohorts (P = 0.792). In the weighted cohort, stage IC (P = 0.014), tumour diameter >8 cm (P = 0.003), incomplete staging surgery (P = 0.003) and no adjuvant chemotherapy (P < 0.001) were the four high-risk factors associated with a shorter DFS. Among 14 patients who had pregnancy desire, 11 (78.6%) women conceived successfully; the live birth rate was 76.9%. In univariate analysis, only adjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.009) was associated with infertility.ConclusionsOn the premise of complete staging surgery, FSS is safe and feasible in early stage MSCSTs with satisfactory reproductive outcomes.     

Epidemiologic features of borderline ovarian tumors in California: a population-based study

Purpose

Borderline ovarian tumors (BOT) became no longer reportable in 2001, and few registries still collect information on these still poorly understood tumors. This study’s objective was to describe epidemiologic features, trends, and survival of BOTs compared with those of low-grade (LG) and high-grade (HG) epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) in the large and diverse population of California.

Methods

Data from the California Cancer Registry were used to examine demographic and tumor characteristics among women diagnosed with BOT (n = 9,786), LG-EOC (n = 3,656), and HG-EOC (n = 40,611) from 1988 to 2010. Annual percent changes in BOT and LG-EOC incidence rates were estimated using Joinpoint regression; 5-year relative survival was calculated for both BOTs and LG-EOCs by age, race/ethnicity, and histology.

Results

Age-adjusted incidence rates of BOT in 2009 were 3.1, 2.3, 2.2, and 1.4 per 100,000 among whites, Latinas, African Americans, and Asian/Pacific Islanders, respectively. Incidence rates for LG-EOC decreased by 2.2 % per year; rates for BOT increased by 7.3 % per year until 1993, remained unchanged until 2006, and seemed to decline thereafter. Compared with LG-EOCs, BOTs were diagnosed in higher frequency among Latinas, at younger age, and were more likely to affect only one ovary. Overall, 5-year relative survival for BOT was 98.9 %; among women diagnosed with stage IV BOT, survival was 77.1 %.

Conclusions

In this study, differences between BOTs and LG-EOCs were marked but varied substantially by histologic subtype and were far less dramatic than differences between BOTs and HG-EOCs. Findings underscore the importance of understanding these enigmatic tumors.     

保守性手术对交界性卵巢肿瘤预后及生育功能的影响

目的；研究首次行保守手术后交界性卵巢肿瘤（BOT）患者的生育功能和疾病结局。方法：对自1990年1月－2000年5月在我院住院43例符合筛选条件的BOT患者行问卷调查及回顾性病例分析，采用SAS软件包对数据进行处理。结果：43例病人中，41例病人完成问卷调查，26例为浆液性交界性卵巢肿瘤（SBOT）；17例为粘液性交界性卵巢肿瘤（MBOT），平均随访时间是63个月，术后无肿瘤复发29例，肿瘤复发14例（包括1例死于肿瘤复发，1例死于其它疾病），平均复发时间是术后39．3个月。卵巢肿瘤剥除术后肿瘤复发率58．3％（7／12），而卵巢切除术后肿瘤复发率22．6％（7／31），两者差异有显著性（Fisher精确概率P＝0．0351），但保守手术后肿瘤复发死亡率并不高于根治性手术（P＝0．64），术后24例有生育愿望的妇女，12例获得妊娠，妊娠年龄范围23－34岁，平均25岁，结论：保守手术可作为BOT患者的一种治疗选择；尽管术后肿瘤复发率较高（33％，14／43），尤其是行卵巢肿瘤剥除术的病人，但肿瘤复发死亡率并未增加；术后有妊娠愿望者能够再次妊娠并分娩正常后代。     

Conservative surgery in ovarian borderline tumours: A meta-analysis with emphasis on recurrence risk

BackgroundRecent reports have stirred the debate regarding the optimal conservative treatment for both serous and mucinous borderline ovarian tumour (BOT). The aim of this study is to examine the optimal oncological approach of conservative surgery in unilateral BOT (cystectomy (C) versus unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (USO)) and in bilateral BOT (bilateral C (BC) versus USO + contralateral C (CC)), as well as fertility outcomes.Materials and methodsThe PubMed database and Cochrane Library were searched using the search terms (((Borderline) OR (low malignant potential)) AND (ovarian)) AND ((tumour) OR (cancer)) AND (((fertility sparing) OR (conservative)) AND surgery).ResultsWe analysed 39 studies that included 5105 women (2624 patients with serous-, 2120 patients with mucinous- and the remaining with other types of BOT), 2752 of which underwent conservative surgery (817 underwent C, 89 BC, 1686 USO and 118 USO + CC). Eight studies included only stage I patients, in 14 studies more than 90% of patients were stage I and five studies included only late-stage patients. Seven studies included only patients with serous borderline ovarian tumour (sBOT) and two only mucinous borderline ovarian tumour (mBOT). A total of 296 patients with non-invasive-, 76 patients with invasive- and 50 patients with unspecified implants were pooled. Of the patients undergoing C, BC, USO and USO + CC the pooled recurrence estimates were respectively 25.3%, 25.6%, 12.5% and 26.1%. In meta-analysis, USO was significantly favored over C with an OR for recurrence reduction = 2200, 95% CI = 0.793–2.841 and p < 0.0001. The pooled recurrence estimate as invasive ovarian cancer was 15.4% and the pooled 95% CI was 0.120–0.196. The cumulative pregnancy rate was 55.7% with 45.4% for USO and 40.3.0% for C.ConclusionCystectomy in unilateral serous BOT is significantly associated with a higher recurrence rate, albeit no impact on survival can be demonstrated. Whether this is related to the duration of follow-up, remains to be proven. Nonetheless, recent data seem to suggest that USO is advisable in the case of mucinous BOT. On the contrary, a more conservative approach (BC) should be definitively favored in bilateral BOT, which is almost always serous, because no significant difference is seen in terms of recurrence rate when compared to USO + CC.     

Is Target Oriented Surgery Sufficient with Borderline Ovarian Tumors? - Role of Accompanying Pathologies

Background: There are limited data in the literature related to concomitant genital or extra-genital organ pathologies in patients with borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs). The aim of this study was to evaluate our experience with 183 patients to draw attention to the accompanying organ pathologies with BOTs. Materialsand Methods: One hundred eighty-three patients with BOTs, diagnosed and/or treated in our center between January of 2000 and March of 2013 were evaluated retrospectively. Data related to age, tumor histology, lesion side, disease stage, accompanying incidental ipsilateral and/or contralateral ovarian pathologies, treatment approaches, and follow-up periods were investigated. Incidental gynecologic and non-gynecologic concomitant organ pathologies were also recorded. Results: The mean age at diagnosis was 40.6 years (range: 17-78). Ninetyfive patients (51%) were ≤40 years. A hundred and forty-seven patients (80%) were at stage IA of the disease. The most common type of BOT was serous in histology. Non-invasive tumor implants were diagnosed in 4% anduterine involvement was found 2% among patients who underwent hysterectomies. There were 12 patients with positive peritoneal washings. Only 17 and 84 patients respectively had concomitant ipsilateral and concomitantcontralateral incidental ovarian pathologies. The most common type of uterine, appendicular and omental pathologies were chronic cervicitis, lymphoid hyperplasia and chronic inflammatory reaction. Conclusions: According to our findings most of accompanying pathologies for BOT are benign in nature. Nevertheless, there were additional malignant diseases necessitating further therapy. We emphasize the importance of the evaluation of all abdominal organs during surgery.     

Regret around fertility choices is decreased with pre-treatment counseling in gynecologic cancer patients

Purpose

Data have demonstrated an association between regret and lack of fertility counseling among patients undergoing treatment for non-gynecologic cancers. We sought to determine if fertility-related regret is reduced with pre-treatment counseling or fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) in patients with gynecologic cancers.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was administered to 593 reproductive-age survivors (18–40 years old at diagnosis) of localized cervix, ovarian, or endometrial cancers that were eligible for FSS. A validated decision regret score was used to evaluate regret in patients.

Results

Four hundred seventy women completed the survey. Forty-six percent received pre-treatment counseling about treatment’s effects on fertility. Having received counseling (adjusted ß-coefficient of ?1.24, 95 % CI?=??2.29 to ?0.18, p?=?0.02), satisfactory counseling (adjusted ß-coefficient of ?2.71, 95 % CI?=??3.86 to ?1.57, p?<?0.001), and FSS (adjusted ß-coefficient of ?1.26, 95 % CI?=??2.39 to ?0.14, p?=?0.03) were associated with lower regret post-treatment, after adjusting for age. Time since diagnosis, prior parity, socioeconomic status and cancer type were not associated with regret (p?>?0.05). While 50 % of women reported desiring more children after diagnosis, desire for children after treatment was associated with increased regret (adjusted ß-coefficient of 3.97, 95 % CI?=?2.92–5.02, p?<?0.001).

Conclusions

Though less than half of study participants received counseling about the effect of cancer treatment on future fertility, both fertility counseling and FSS were associated with decreased regret in reproductive-aged women with gynecologic cancers. The desire for more children after treatment was associated with increased regret.

Implications for cancer survivors

Inquiring about fertility desires and providing counseling regarding reproductive outcomes following cancer treatment should be implemented as part of the treatment process.

     

Goserelin with chemotherapy to preserve ovarian function in pre-menopausal women with early breast cancer: menstruation and pregnancy outcomes

BackgroundPremature ovarian failure and infertility following chemotherapy in early breast cancer (EBC) are major concerns for young women. The role of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists with chemotherapy in EBC in reducing the incidence of chemotherapy-induced early menopause remains uncertain, and long-term data on the recovery of fertility are sparse. We report an audit of our experience with the GnRH agonist, goserelin (Zoladex®), used with chemotherapy to preserve ovarian function and maintain fertility.Patients and methodsPre-menopausal women were given goserelin subcutaneously every 28 days during chemotherapy, starting 0–14 days before treatment. The main clinical end point was recovery of menstruation after chemotherapy. The other end points were rate of successful conception and median time to recovery of menses.ResultsAbout 84% of 125 women recovered menstruation with the median time to recovery of 6 months (1–43 months), including 76% of 71 patients aged over 35. Of the 42 patients who attempted pregnancy, 71% (n = 30) managed to achieve pregnancies. At the time of analysis, there were 42 pregnancies and 30 healthy deliveries.ConclusionsThe GnRH agonist, goserelin, given with chemotherapy for EBC is associated with a low risk of long-term chemotherapy-induced amenorrhoea and a high chance of pregnancy. Further randomised trials are needed.     

Pregnancy Outcomes after Conservative Surgery for Early-Stage Ovarian Neoplasms

Objective: This retrospective, single institute study aimed to evaluate pregnancy and oncologic outcomes in reproductive-age Thai women with early-stage ovarian neoplasms undergoing conservative surgical treatment. Methods: Medical records of 84 women of reproductive age (15-45 years) with histologically confirmed early-stage (IA-IIC) borderline ovarian tumors or cancers who had undergone conservative surgery between January 2003 and December 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: The mean age of patients at diagnosis was 28.0 years (SD 7.2). Histologically, 30 (35.7%) had borderline ovarian tumors, 28 (33.3%) epithelial cancers, 22 (26.2%) malignant germ cell tumors, and 4 (4.8%) sex cord stromal tumors. Thirty-five women (41.7%) had complete surgical staging performed, whereas 49 (58.3%) underwent an incomplete staging procedure. Thirty-four patients (40.5%) received postoperative chemotherapy. Among 29 patients subsequently attempting pregnancy, 15 conceived successfully (51.7%). Pregnancy outcomes were one spontaneous abortion and 14 viable births. There were no serious adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes among women with documented live births and no reported fetal abnormalities. Pregnancy rates were not impacted by surgical staging (53.8% vs 50.0%, p=0.837) or adjuvant chemotherapy (55.6% vs 50.0%, p=0.782). The 5-year disease-free survival was 91.0% and pregnancy after conservative surgery did not affect progression-free survival (p=0.194). Conclusion: Conservative surgery with or without appropriate adjuvant chemotherapy can be offered to young women with early-stage ovarian neoplasms who wish to preserve their fertility potential.     

Management von Borderlinetumoren des Ovars (BOT)

Borderline ovarian tumours (BOT) are defined as growths that have some, but not all, characteristics of malignant ovarian tumours. The decisive characteristic is the lack of a destructive invasion of the stroma. In most cases, ovarian carcinoma is in stage III/IV when diagnosed, while most BOT are diagnosed in stage I/II. The overall 15-year survival rate is around 99% for BOT diagnosed in stage I/II, falling to 30–50% for those diagnosed in stage III. In the presence of BOT, so-called peritoneal implants are frequently described, which are found at the outer surface with primary proliferations in 70–80% of cases. When implants are found it is important to determine their nature. Most implants are noninvasive, but in 6–10% of patients they are invasive, substantially lowering the survival rate. The therapy leans heavily on the clinical management of ovarian carcinoma and is directed at definitive staging, i.e. complete or maximum debulking. As the women affected are often young, it is essential to take account of any desire for children when surgery is planned and carried out. Routine performance of lymphadenectomy even when the lymph nodes are unremarkable cannot be recommended. As a rule no adjuvant therapy is indicated. Some authors recommend platinum-containing chemotherapy if residual tumour persists after surgery or in the case of recurrence. After-care should continue to the end of each patient’s life.     

Fertility sparing surgery in early stage epithelial ovarian cancer

Objective

Fertility sparing surgery (FSS) is a strategy often considered in young patients with early epithelial ovarian cancer. We investigated the role and the outcomes of FSS in eEOC patients who underwent comprehensive surgery.

Methods

From January 2003 to January 2011, 24 patients underwent fertility sparing surgery. Eighteen were one-to-one matched and balanced for stage, histologic type and grading with a group of patients who underwent radical comprehensive staging (n=18). Demographics, surgical procedures, morbidities, pathologic findings, recurrence-rate, pregnancy-rate and correlations with disease-free survival were assessed.

Results

A total of 36 patients had a complete surgical staging including lymphadenectomy and were therefore analyzed. Seven patients experienced a recurrence: four (22%) in the fertility sparing surgery group and three (16%) in the control group (p=not significant). Sites of recurrence were: residual ovary (two), abdominal wall and peritoneal carcinomatosis in the fertility sparing surgery group; pelvic (two) and abdominal wall in the control group. Recurrences in the fertility sparing surgery group appeared earlier (mean, 10.3 months) than in radical comprehensive staging group (mean, 53.3 months) p<0.001. Disease-free survival were comparable between the two groups (p=0.422). No deaths were reported. All the patients in fertility sparing surgery group recovered a regular period. Thirteen out of 18 (72.2%) attempted to have a pregnancy. Five (38%) achieved a spontaneous pregnancy with a full term delivery.

Conclusion

Fertility sparing surgery in early epithelial ovarian cancer submitted to a comprehensive surgical staging could be considered safe with oncological results comparable to radical surgery group.     

Conservative management of early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer: results of a large retrospective series

BackgroundTo assess the long-term oncological outcome and the fertility of young women with early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer (ES/EOC) treated with fertility-sparing surgery (FSS).Patients and methodsAll patients treated with FSS for ES/EOC in two Italian centers were considered for this analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to test demographic characteristics and clinical features for the association with overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS) and fertility.ResultsFrom 1982 to 2010, 240 patients with malignant ES/EOC were treated with FSS in two tertiary centers in Italy. At a median follow-up of 9 years, 27 patients had relapsed (11%) and 11 (5%) had died of progressive disease. Multivariate analysis found only grade 3 negatively affected the prognosis of patients [hazard ratio (HR) for recurrence: 4.2, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.5–11.7, P = 0.0067; HR for death: 7.6, 95% CI: 2.0–29.3, P = 0.0032]. Grade 3 was also significantly associated with extra-ovarian relapse (P = 0.006). Of the 105 patients (45%) who tried to become pregnant, 84 (80%) were successful.ConclusionsConservative treatment can be proposed to all young patients when tumor is limited to the ovaries, as ovarian recurrences can always be managed successfully. Patients with G3 tumors are more likely to have distant recurrences and should be closely monitored.     

Conservative surgery for malignant ovarian tumor in women of childbearing age

Background. The traditional operative procedures for the treatment of ovarian cancer have been simple total hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and omentectomy. However, young patients who want to preserve fertility are occasionally encountered. This study was designed to assess the results of conservative surgical management for young women with stage I epithelial ovarian carcinoma or malignant germ cell tumor and to explore the indications for such surgical treatment. Methods. Fifty-eight patients aged under 35 years were treated for malignant ovarian tumors (germ cell tumor, n = 20; epithelial tumors, n = 38) between 1971 and 1996. We studied all 20 patients with germ cell tumors and 22 pa-tients with stage I epithelial tumors; we excluded the 12 patients with stage II and more advanced disease and the 4 patients with stage I clear cell carcinoma, because these patients had poor prognoses. Eleven of the 22 patients with stage I epithelial tumors and 8 of the 20 patients with germ cell tumors received conservative surgery (conservative surgery group); the remaining 23 patients underwent radical surgery, including hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (radical surgery group). The overall survival rates of the two groups were compared, and ovarian function and pregnancy outcome were evaluated in the conservative surgery group. Results. Of the patients with malignant epithelial tumor who were treated with conservative surgery, 3 patients with stage Ic mucinous adenocarcinoma died 1 year and 8 months, 7 years and 6 months, and 8 years, respectively, after the initial surgery. The 10-year survival rate was 65% for the conservative surgery group and 91% for the radical surgery group. All patients with stage Ia epithelial tumors in both groups survived, and there were no differences in survival curves between the two groups among the patients with stage Ic epithelial tumors. All patients with germ cell tumors in the conservative surgery group survived. Their survival rate, however, was not significantly better than that in the radical surgery group. All patients with germ cell tumors who received platinum-based chemotherapy survived and had a significantly better survival rate than those who received non-platinum-based regimens (P < 0.05). All the patients in the conservative surgery group received postoperative chemotherapy; 10 of these patients had transient ovulation failure after the completion of chemotherapy, although a normal menstrual cycle was restored within 1 year. Of the 10 patients who wished to have babies, 6 became pregnant, and they have had a total of 11 children. Conclusion. Conservative surgery is feasible in patients with stage Ia epithelial carcinoma and germ cell tumor. Postoperative chemotherapy suppressed ovarian function in these patients, but only for a brief period. Received: January 5, 1999 / Accepted: October 27, 1999