[Clinical characteristics and prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer in young women].

Background & Objective: Epithelial ovarian cancer mostly appears in aged women, but rarely in young women. Little is known about the clinical characteristics and prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer in women aged below 35 years. This study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics, treatment, survival and prognosis of young patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.

Methods: A total of 71 patients with confirmed epithelial ovarian cancer under the age of 35 years between Jun.1980 and Dec. 2003 were retrospectively analyzed. The survival rate was calculated using the life table method. Cox model was used to determine prognostic factors.

Results: The medium age of the 71 patients was 28 years. The common symptoms included self-detected pelvic masses or pelvic masses found at the check-up (18 cases), abdominal pain and abdomen distension (11 cases). The average maximum diameter of the tumor was 13.7 cm. The tumor was located at one side of the ovary in 52 cases (73.2%). Sixty-eight cases underwent optimal cytoreduction. Forty-four patients were classified as stage I (62.0%), five patients were stage II, 18 patients were stage III, and four patients were stage IV. Serous adenocarcinoma (40 cases, 56.3%) and mucinous adenocarcinoma (22 cases, 30.9%) were the most common pathologic types. There were 42 cases (59.2%) of well-differentiated tumor, 18 cases (25.4%) of moderately-differentiated tumor and 11 cases (15.5%) of poorly differentiated tumor. Sixty-eight patients received platinum and paclitaxel-based chemotherapy before or after operation. Twelve patients achieved tumor free survival (80.0%) out of 15 patients (Ia, G1) underwent conservative surgery. The 2- and 5-year survival rates were 86.0% and 82.0%, respectively. Pathological grade and residual tumor size were independent prognostic factors affecting ovarian cancer.

Conclusions: Young women with epithelial ovarian cancer under the age of 35 years mostly have serous adenocarcinoma; tumors are normally unilateral; and the prognosis is good. The ovarian function can be preserved in part of stage Ia and Grade I patients. Pathological grade and residual tumor size are independent prognostic factors of epithelial ovarian cancer.