Oncologic and obstetric outcomes of conservative surgery for borderline ovarian tumors in women of reproductive age

OBJECTIVE: To compare the oncologic and obstetric outcomes in reproductive-age females with borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) treated with cyst enucleation (CE) or unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (USO). METHODS: The medical records of patients with BOTs treated between 1998 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. The recurrence rates in the USO and CE groups were compared, and the postoperative obstetric outcomes were assessed via telephone survey. RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients with BOTs underwent USO, and 19 underwent CE. Of these, six patients had recurrent BOTs. The recurrence rate was significantly lower in the USO group (3/89, 3.4%) than in the CE group (3/19, 15.8%) (P=0.032). All patients with recurrent disease were successfully treated with further surgery. Of the 76 patients interviewed by telephone, 71 (93.4%) resumed regular menstruation after surgery. Twenty-six of the 32 patients (81.3%) who attempted to conceive had successful pregnancies. USO (19/24, 79.2%), like CE (7/8, 87.5%), resulted in favorable pregnancy rates for patients with BOTs. CONCLUSION: USO is a suitable fertility-preserving surgery for women with BOTs. CE is also an acceptable option for select patients.