Retrospective Study of the Epidemiology, Pathology, and Therapeutic Management in Patients With Mucinous Ovarian Tumors

AIM: We sought to determine the epidemiology of mucinous ovarian tumors, the correlation between serum biomarkers and tumor status, and the outcomes of the management in different subtypes of mucinous ovarian tumors in a Chinese surgical cohort. METHODS: A total of 513 patients were enrolled from January 2009 to May 2017. The number of patients who had benign mucinous ovarian tumor, borderline mucinous ovarian tumor, or malignant mucinous ovarian tumor was pathologically quantified. All patients underwent surgery with or without postoperative adjuvant therapy. Prognosis was analyzed based on clinicopathological characteristics and the type of treatment received. Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy efficacy and adverse effects in patients were also explored. RESULTS: In all, 383 (75%) patients were diagnosed as having benign mucinous ovarian tumor, 76 (14%) patients with borderline mucinous ovarian tumor, and 54 (5%) patients with malignant mucinous ovarian tumor. Levels of serum biomarkers increased as the tumors became more malignant. Patients with stage IA and IC (unilateral) malignant mucinous ovarian tumor who underwent fertility conserving surgery did not experience poorer prognoses when compared to those who received non-fertility conserving surgery. Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy followed by chemotherapy significantly influenced survival rates in patients with a ruptured malignant mucinous ovarian tumor. CONCLUSIONS: Levels of serum tumor markers, carbohydrate antigen 125, carbohydrate antigen 199, carbohydrate antigen 242, and carcinoembryonic antigen may be useful in monitoring for malignant transformation. Fertility conserving surgery might be a preferable surgical procedure for patients with malignant mucinous ovarian tumor at early stage (IA and IC [unilateral]). Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy appears to be a well-tolerated and promising postoperative adjuvant.