Objective: To compare recurrence rates and fertility outcomes of patients with borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) who underwent unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with those of patients who underwent cystectomy only.
Design: Retrospective study.
Setting: Gynecologic oncology department of a tertiary center.
Patient(s): Sixty-two patients with BOTs who underwent fertility-preserving surgery.
Intervention(s): Unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (USO, n = 40) or cystectomy only (n = 22).
Main outcome measure(s): Tumor recurrence rate, incidence of pregnancy.
Result(s): All 62 patients were alive with no clinical evidence of disease after a mean follow-up of 88 months. There was no statistically significant difference in mean tumor recurrence rates between patients who had undergone cystectomy only and those who had undergone USO (22.7% and 27.5%, respectively). In the cystectomy-treated group, the disease-free interval was shortened (23.6 compared with 41 mo), but the difference was not significant. However, the mean follow-up period for the cystectomy group was significantly shorter than for the USO group. Of the 62 patients, 25 (40.3%) attained 38 pregnancies, resulting in 35 deliveries.
Conclusion(s): Our results support previous findings that conservative surgery is an acceptable option for women with BOTs who wish to preserve fertility. Cystectomy, like oophorectomy, appears to be an adequate treatment, provided that the patient is willing to undergo careful and prolonged follow-up.