Outcomes of Fertility Sparing Surgery for Borderline Ovarian Tumors

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the results of fertility-preserving and/or radical surgery, the effects of fertility-preserving surgery on fertility and the postoperative recurrence rate in patients with borderline ovarian tumors. Material and Method: The study included 138 patients who were diagnosed with borderline ovarian tumors in the oncology clinic of a tertiary institution in Ankara. The patients’ data were analyzed retrospectively from the hospital information system. Among 138 patients, age, parity, type of surgery, number of lymph nodes removed, recurrence rates, pregnancy rates after treatment and fertility and recurrence analysis were performed. Recurrence and fertility rates were compared between those who underwent fertility preserving surgery and those who did not. Results: The distribution of the patıents’ age groups is as follows: 21% of the patients were under the age of 30; 26.1% were between 31-40 years of age, and 21% were between 41-50 years of age. The BMI data of the patients shows that 20.3% of the patients were in normal weight, on the contrary, 44.9% were overweight (25 kg/m2 to 29.9 kg/m2). According to the pathology results of the patients, 63% (n=87) were serous, 31.9% (n=44) mucinous, 5.1% (n=7) endometrioid type borderline ovarian tumors. Spontaneous pregnancy was observed in 31% (n=18) and pregnancy as a result of assisted reproductive techniques in 5.2% (n=3) of the patients who underwent fertility preserving surgery. According to the results of the study, it is observed that there is a statistical relationship between recurrence and fertility preservation. Recurrence was observed in 2.5% (n=2) of the individuals whose fertility was not preserved while recurrence was observed in 24.1% (n=14) of individuals whose fertility was preserved. Although it was observed that recurrence increased in patients who underwent fertility preservation surgery, it allowed pregnancy to be achieved at a rate of approximately 36%. Conclusion: Since patients with borderline ovarian tumours are younger than patients with invasive ovarian cancer, fertility-sparing surgery is becoming increasingly important.