title: Ovarian cancer in pregnancy.
abstract: Although the occurrence of ovarian masses in pregnancy is relatively common, the majority of them is functional and resolve spontaneously; nevertheless, ovarian cancer is the fifth most common malignancy diagnosed in pregnancy. If malignancy is suspected, treatment should be decided on the basis of gestational age, stage of the disease and patient preferences. In early stage, ovarian cancer surgery may be planned preferably after 16 weeks of pregnancy, and chemotherapy can be administered from the second trimester if indicated as in non-pregnant patients. In advanced-stage disease, when complete cytoreduction is not achievable, neoadjuvant chemotherapy could be administered even in pregnancy. Chemotherapy should be a combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel in epithelial ovarian cancer patients and a combination of cisplatin, vinblastin and bleomycin in non-epithelial ovarian cancer. The outcome of patients with ovarian cancer diagnosed in pregnancy is similar to non-pregnant patients, and stage of the disease is the most important prognostic factor.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Milan Bicocca, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy. Electronic address: robert.fruscio@unimib.it.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fruscio
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jorine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Haan
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospitals Leuven, and Department of Reproduction and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kristel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Calsteren
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Magali
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verheecke
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Cliniques Universitaires St. Luc, UCL, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mhallem
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium; Center for Gynaecologic Oncology Amsterdam, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek - Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amant
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016190:Carboplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage; D057240:Patient Preference; D011247:Pregnancy; D011252:Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D016190:Carboplatin; D017239:Paclitaxel
keywords: chemotherapy in pregnancy; ovarian cancer; pregnancy; surgery in pregnancy