title: Histopathological pattern of ovarian neoplasms and their age distribution in the western region of Saudi Arabia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the different histopathological types of ovarian neoplasms and their age distribution.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective study were ovarian neoplasms received by the Pathology Department  of King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between January 1995 and December 2010 were reviewed and their frequencies in different age groups were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 618 ovarian specimens studied, 382 (61.8%) were ovarian neoplasms while 38.2% were non-neoplastic functional cysts. Benign neoplasms  (n=278; 72.8%) were more common than borderline (n=20; 5.2%) and malignant ones (n=84; 22%) in all age groups. Surface epithelial neoplasms were the most common (61%) followed by germ cell  (28%), gender cord stromal  (7.6%) and metastatic tumors (3.4%). The most common benign neoplasm was serous cystadenoma (44.6%) and the most common malignant  was serous cystadenocarcinoma (33.3%). The  most common  ovarian neoplasm below the age of 20 years was surface epithelial tumors (n=24) followed by germ cell tumor (16 cases). Benign neoplasms (n=213) were more common than malignant ones (n=42) in the age group from 20-51 years. Malignant ovarian neoplasms (35 out of the 71) were more common than benign (34 cases) in the age above 52.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Benign ovarian neoplasms are more common than malignant ones. The most common benign ovarian neoplasm is serous cystadenoma and the commonest malignant neoplasm is serous cystadenocarcinoma. The prevalence of malignant ovarian neoplasms increases with increasing age.
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department, King Abdul-Aziz University, College of Medicine, PO Box 80215, Jeddah 21589, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. lsabdullah@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Layla S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Abdullah
authors.forename: Nabeel S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Bondagji
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D055815:Young Adult