Impact of surgical approach on the management of macroscopic early ovarian borderline tumors.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the surgical approach on the management and outcomes of patients with early borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs).


METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of patients with stage Ia to Ic BOT treated surgically between January 1, 1985, and December 31, 2001. We compared patients initially managed by laparoscopy vs. laparotomy in terms of potentially harmful procedures and quality of staging.


RESULTS
Of the 118 included patients, 48 (41%) had laparoscopy for initial surgery, 54 (45%) had laparotomy, and 16 (14%) had conversion from laparoscopy to laparotomy. Conservative treatment (57% of patients) was more common with laparoscopy (vs. laparotomy, P < 0.05) and in women older than 44 years (vs. younger than 44 years, P < 0.001). Intraoperative tumor rupture occurred in 9% of patients and was not associated with the surgical approach (P = 0.1). Bag extraction was used in 19 (40%) of the 48 laparoscopy patients. Staging was incomplete in 73% of patients overall. By univariate analysis, better quality of staging was associated with bilateral adnexectomy, age >44 years, laparotomy, hysterectomy, and treatment after 1995. By multivariate analysis, bilateral adnexectomy or hysterectomy was associated with better staging. Mean follow-up was 40 months, during which recurrence and survival rates were similar in the laparoscopy and laparotomy groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Staging of macroscopic early stage BOTs was better in patients requiring radical surgery. After adjustment on disease severity, type of surgical access was not related to staging quality.
Desfeux
Patrice
P
Gynecological and Oncological Surgery Department, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, AP-HP, 75000 Paris, France.
Camatte
Sophie
S
Chatellier
Gilles
G
Blanc
Bernard
B
Querleu
Denis
D
Lécuru
Fabrice
F
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D007813:Laparotomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome