Surgical management of malignant ovarian germ-cell tumors: 10 years' experience of 129 patients.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the surgical management of ovarian germ-cell tumors treated at a single institution during the last decade.

METHODS

One hundred twenty-nine patients affected by ovarian germ-cell tumors were studied retrospectively for their surgical management. Fifty-seven patients were affected by dysgerminoma, 39 by non-dysgerminoma, and 33 by pure immature teratoma. Seventy-nine patients were stage I according to International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics criteria, with five first referred at recurrence, 11 at stage II, 35 at stage III, and four at stage IV.

RESULTS

Fertility-sparing surgery was performed in 108 of 129 patients. Eighty-five of 100 referred patients underwent surgical or radiologic restaging, with an increase in staging in 16 cases. Three patients with immature teratoma underwent second laparotomy for a growing mass. Thirty-one patients underwent second-look surgery, with positive findings in four cases. Three patients did not respond to chemotherapy, and ten had a recurrence after complete response or surveillance. Six patients died of tumor, with an overall survival of 96% (mean follow-up time 55 months).

CONCLUSION

Fertility-sparing surgery is warranted in all ovarian germ-cell tumors because it does not affect recurrence rate or survival. Extensive tumor-reductive surgery is advisable only in immature teratoma patients and is not necessary for other histologic types. Restaging can be useful in selected cases, but the administration of effective chemotherapy, when needed, seems to be more important. The usefulness of second-look surgery is marginal.