title: Retrospective cohort study of surgical staging for ovarian low malignant potential tumors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine the benefit of surgically staging ovarian low malignant potential tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective cohort study of all ovarian low malignant potential tumors that were diagnosed by frozen section or final pathologic review from 2003 to 2005.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-two of 32 patients (69%) were staged surgically. Sixteen low malignant potential tumors were stage I by final pathologic review, and 4 tumors were upstaged to stage II-III disease. Two other patients had early invasive ovarian carcinoma, despite a frozen section that suggested low malignant potential; 1 patient received adjuvant chemotherapy. The tumors of 10 women (31%) were unstaged. Frozen section suspicion of low malignant potential (P = .003) and surgery by a gynecologic oncologist (P < .001) correlated with staging. Preoperative CA-125, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative hospitalization were increased in patients with staged disease (each P < .05). Two women who underwent fertility-sparing surgery experienced a recurrence in the contralateral ovary.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical staging of ovarian low malignant potential tumors has limited value for most patients, unless invasive carcinoma is diagnosed by final pathologic review.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9032, USA.
authors.forename: Shana N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Wingo
authors.forename: Lynne M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Knowles
authors.forename: Kelley S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Carrick
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: John O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Schorge
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005629:Frozen Sections / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies