Borderline ovarian tumors, fertility-sparing surgery and pregnancy outcome.

Background: Borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) represent a type of epithelial tumors having a biologic intermediate behavior between clearly malignant and straight benign tumors. Most of BOTs interest women during fertile age, for which it is necessary to consider a fertility sparing surgery.

Aim: To evaluate the clinical aspects and pregnancy rate of women affected by borderline ovarian tumors who have undergone fertility sparing surgery.

Patients And Methods: A study of 22 patients affected by BOTs who have been treated with a fertility sparing surgery was conducted between January 2005 and October 2011 at Sant'Andrea Hospital, "Sapienza" University of Rome. The patients' characteristics analyzed were: age, histological type, tumor size, adnexal surgery, pre-operative serum CA-125, diagnostic circumstances, number of patients who became pregnant and number of overall pregnancies.

Results: Among the 22 patients treated with a fertility sparing surgery, only sixteen wanted to get pregnant. Eleven patents out of 16 accomplished it. The pregnancy rate was 68.7%.

Conclusions: Fertility sparing surgery can be considered a safe procedure for young women affected by borderline ovarian tumors.