Long-term surgical outcomes in pediatric ovarian neoplasms: 20-year single-center experience.

PURPOSE

The management of pediatric ovarian neoplasms (ON) is based on finding a balance between adequate surgical treatment and future reproductive capacity. We aimed to evaluate long-term results of patients who underwent surgery for ON.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study design was used. Medical records of patients with ON were reviewed. They were invited to participate in a telephone-based survey assessing complaints, menstrual status, and post-surgical recurrence.

RESULTS

Eighty-five patients were operated for ON between 1995 and 2015. Median age at surgery was 14.7 years. 62.4% of patients had ovary-sparing surgery (OSS). Median tumor size in oophorectomy group was significantly larger than OSS group (p = 0.029). Median length of follow-up was 5.1 years. Recurrent/metachronous disease was not significantly different between OSS and oophorectomy groups (p = 1.000). In OSS group, irregular menses (p = 0.004) and painful menses (p = 0.002) were significantly higher than oophorectomy group.

CONCLUSION

The main goal of treatment in pediatric ON is to find the right balance between adequate and appropriate tumor resection and maximal effort for fertility preservation. Our results showed no difference between oophorectomy and OSS in the terms of recurrence. Although irregular and painful menses were found to be significantly higher in the OSS group, longer follow-up and prospective studies are needed to clarify this issue.