Borderline ovarian tumors and extended patient follow-up: an individual institution's experience.
BACKGROUND
Borderline tumors of the ovary (BOT) comprise nearly 20% of all ovarian malignancies and are associated with a favorable prognosis. However, since these lesions can present with malignant features and recur, a further evaluation of appropriate patient management and long-term follow-up is warranted.


METHODS
We report a physician group's retrospective experience treating BOT patients at a single institution. Patient demographics, disease pathology, treatment type (surgery, chemotherapy), and patient surveillance (e.g., disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival, follow-up via CA-125/radiology/physical exam) data were reviewed in all cases.


RESULTS
In the present study, 78 BOT patients treated from April 2001 until February 2009 were identified and confirmed via pathologic diagnosis. The majority (87%) underwent surgery, although nearly 13% of patients also received adjuvant chemotherapy. In the study population, 12% of the patients developed progressive disease, which was primarily detected via CA-125 and physical exam/disease symptomatology. DFS for these patients was 38 months. Recurrent disease was significantly related to the administration of chemotherapy (P = 0.0024) and prolonged time since initial treatment (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Since BOT can be aggressive and eventually recur, continued (i.e., long-term) surveillance with CA-125 evaluation and physical examination should be considered for optimal patient follow-up.
Rettenmaier
Mark A
MA
Gynecologic Oncology Associates, Newport Beach, California 92663, USA.
Lopez
Katrina
K
Abaid
Lisa N
LN
Brown
John V
JV
Micha
John P
JP
Goldstein
Bram H
BH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*