Surgery as sole treatment for serous borderline tumors of the ovary with noninvasive implants

OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to describe the clinical characteristics and prognosis of surgically treated patients with stage II and III serous borderline tumors of the ovary with noninvasive implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1990 to 2000, 16 patients with stage II and III ovarian serous borderline tumors and noninvasive implants were diagnosed and prospectively followed at our center. All patients underwent surgical treatment including staging and their pathology was reviewed. Fifteen patients had thorough surgical staging by laparotomy, while one patient was staged laparoscopically. No patient was treated with adjuvant therapy (radiation or chemotherapy) after surgical treatment and none were lost to follow-up. RESULTS: The mean age at diagnosis was 42 years (range 26-59). Fourteen patients were treated by abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, omentectomy, and multiple peritoneal biopsies, while 2 patients were treated conservatively for fertility preservation. Two patients underwent pelvic and para-aortic lymph node dissection. Fifteen of 16 patients had ovarian surface involvement with tumor. All patients but 2 had clinical evidence of extraovarian disease at the time of surgery. The mean duration of follow-up was 60.7 months (range 2-134 months). Thirteen patients (81%) are alive without evidence of disease. Four patients (25%) required subsequent surgery for recurrent disease and all are still alive. Two patients have been treated with chemotherapy (paclitaxel/carboplatin) for progressive borderline disease, while an additional patient was treated after first relapse with chemotherapy for an invasive recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Carefully staged patients with advanced serous borderline tumors of the ovary and noninvasive implants have a good prognosis without adjuvant therapy.