Twenty-one borderline ovarian tumour cases, diagnosed and treated in our oncology section between 1986 and 1996, were retrospectively analysed. Thirty-three percent of the cases had serous tumours and the rest (66.6%) were mucinous, 57.1% of the mucinous tumours were the intestinal type and the remaining 42.9% were the endocervical type. When all the cases were analysed, the average age was 45.4+/-18.6 years, the average follow-up period was 5.5+/-2.6 years. The preoperative average CA125 level was 55.1+/-51.9 U/mL, and for CA19.9 it was 48.2+/-47.8 U/mL. Of the patients 85.7% were stage I and 14.3% state III. There were not any significant differences between the serous, intestinal-type mucinous and endometroid-type mucinous tumours regarding tumour volumes (p>0.05). When serous and mucinous tumours were compared according to the tumour markers, CA125 levels were significantly higher in the serous tumours (p=0.04) and CA19.9 levels were significantly higher in the mucinous tumours (p=0.02). All of the patients are under our follow-up and are in remission, except one, who died in the third year of the treatment because of chronic renal failure unrelated to the ovarian pathology.
PIP: Tumors of low malignant potential represent approximately 15% of epithelial ovarian tumors and tend to occur at a younger age than malignant neoplasia. This paper presents a retrospective analysis of the 21 borderline ovarian tumors diagnosed and treated at Dokuz Eylul University in Izmir, Turkey, in 1986-96. The average age at presentation was 45.4 +or- 18.6 years. The diagnosis was made by exploratory laparotomy and frozen section. 7 tumors (33.3%) were serous and 14 (66.6%) were mucinous. 8 borderline mucinous tumors (57.1%) were intestinal type and 6 (42.9%) were endocervical. The average preoperative cancer marker level was 55.1 +or- 51.9 U/ml for CA125 and 48.2 +or- 47.8 U/ml for CA19.9. CA125 levels were significantly higher in serous tumors (p = 0.04) while CA19.9 measurements were significantly higher in mucinous tumors (p = 0.02). 18 tumors (85.7%) were stage I and 3 (14.3%) were stage III. There were no significant differences in tumor volume between serous, intestinal-type mucinous, and endometroid-type mucinous tumors. Women with stage I tumors who wanted to preserve their fertility underwent unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy; total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy were performed in the remaining cases. Women with stage III tumors received 6 rounds of first-line adjuvant chemotherapy followed by second-look laparotomy. 1 patient died in the third year of treatment as a result of chronic renal failure unrelated to the ovarian pathology; the remaining women, who have been followed an average of 5.5 +or- 2.6 years, are in remission.