The current status of surgical staging of ovarian serous borderline tumors

✍ Scribed by Paul S. Lin; David M. Gershenson; Michael W. Bevers; Kristin R. Lucas; Thomas W. Burke; Elvio G. Silva

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 87 KB
• Volume: 85
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0008-543X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0142(19990215)85:4<905::aid-cncr19>3.0.co;2-8

✦ Synopsis

Background:

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the current practice of surgical staging of ovarian serous borderline tumors.

Methods:

Women with a diagnosis of ovarian serous borderline tumors whose pathology slides were sent to the m. d. anderson cancer center for second-opinion diagnostic consultation between 1990-1996 were identified. the original pathology reports and m. d. anderson cancer center consultation reports of 255 cases were reviewed for the frequencies of frozen-section analyses and staging biopsies, biopsy results, the specialty of the surgeon, and hospital type.

Results:

The majority (78%) of ovarian borderline tumors primarily were encountered and staged by general obstetrician-gynecologists. overall, 66% of patients had at least 1 staging biopsy performed. approximately 12% of subjects underwent complete surgical staging, defined as having biopsy samples taken from pelvic and abdominal peritoneum, omentum, and retroperitoneal lymph nodes. gynecologic oncologists performed complete staging in 50% of cases, obstetrician-gynecologists performed complete staging in 9% of cases, and general surgeons performed complete staging in 0% cases. the overall frequency of a positive staging biopsy was 37%. approximately 47% (80 of 169) of patients who underwent biopsies were upstaged as a result of positive biopsies, - with 41% (70 of 169) having extrapelvic spread.

Conclusions:

Currently, surgical staging for women with ovarian serous borderline tumors remains inadequate, although a significant proportion of patients who undergo staging are noted to have extrapelvic spread.