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Conservative surgery for Stage I ovarian carcinoma in women of childbearing age

  1. Gerardo Zanetta Consultant 1,*,
  2. Stefania Chiari Consultant 1,
  3. Sonia Rota Registrar 1,
  4. Giorgio Bratina Professor 2,
  5. Andrea Maneo Registrar 1,
  6. Valter Torri Medical Statistician 3,
  7. Costantino Mangioni Professor 1

Article first published online: 19 AUG 2005

DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1997.tb12062.x

Issue

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Volume 104, Issue 9, pages 1030–1035, September 1997

Additional Information

How to Cite

Zanetta, G., Chiari, S., Rota, S., Bratina, G., Maneo, A., Torri, V. and Mangioni, C. (1997), Conservative surgery for Stage I ovarian carcinoma in women of childbearing age. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 104: 1030–1035. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1997.tb12062.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, III Branch of the University of Milan, Italy

  2. 2

    Department of Pathology, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, III Branch of the University of Milan, Italy

  3. 3

    Department of Oncology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Italy

*Correspondence: Dr G. Zanetta, Division of Gynaecological Surgery, Ospcdale San Gerardo, Via Solferino 16, 20052 Monza, Italy.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 19 AUG 2005
  2. Article first published online: 19 AUG 2005
  3. Received 7 May 1996 Returned for revision 9 October 1996 Revised version received 4 March 1997 Accepted 14 April 1997

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Objective To assess the results of a policy of tailored conservative surgical management for young women with stage I ovarian carcinomas.

Design Retrospective study.

Participants Ninety-nine women aged 40 years or younger who underwent either primary surgery in our department or were referred after primary surgery performed elsewhere.

Methods Of the 99 women in our study, 56 underwent fertility-sparing surgery and 43 more radical surgery. Minimal requirements for conservative management were adequate staging and complete information about the therapeutic options. Factors important in the choice of the treatment were, age, wish to preserve fertility, histologic type and grade, and the stage of the tumour.

Results Conservative treatment was conducted in 84% of nulliparous and in 33% of parous women; 62% of grade 1 tumours, 48% of grade 2, and 50% of grade 3 were treated conservatively. With a median follow up of seven years, we observed five recurrences (9%) of carcinoma in women treated conservatively and five (12%) in those treated more radically. Two women (one in each treatment arm) were saved after recurrence. Two recurrences after conservative surgery involved the residual ovary (3.6%). Two women developed borderline tumour in the contralateral ovary and both were treated by surgery.

Conclusion After adequate staging and accurate information is given to the patient, conservative treatment may be safe in some women with early ovarian cancer. The risk of recurrence in the contralateral ovary is low. Conservative surgery may be also considered in some Stage I grade 3 tumours and in some women with stage IC tumours.

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