Management of Borderline Ovarian Tumors
Summary
Borderline ovarian tumours are epithelial neoplasms of low malignant potential that occupy an intermediate position between benign cysts and invasive ovarian cancer. They account for around 10–20 percent of all epithelial ovarian tumours and are most often diagnosed at an early stage in younger women. Management centres on surgery, with the dual objectives of accurate staging and preservation of fertility where required. Complete surgical staging—comprising peritoneal washings, inspection of all abdominal surfaces, omentectomy and selective biopsies—remains the cornerstone of care. In patients desiring future childbearing, fertility-sparing approaches such as unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy or cystectomy may be employed, albeit with careful counselling regarding recurrence risk. Key prognostic factors include tumour histology, presence of peritoneal implants and adequacy of staging. Follow-up protocols incorporate clinical examination, serum biomarkers and imaging to detect late recurrence or malignant transformation into low-grade carcinoma.
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Management of Borderline Ovarian Tumors publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in management of borderline ovarian tumors across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Borderline ovarian tumour: An epithelial ovarian neoplasm with low malignant potential, exhibiting cellular atypia without destructive stromal invasion.
Fertility-sparing surgery: A surgical approach preserving the uterus and at least one ovary in patients wishing to retain reproductive capacity.
Complete surgical staging: A comprehensive operative assessment including peritoneal sampling, omentectomy and cytology to determine tumour extent and stage.
Lymphadenectomy: The systematic removal of pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes to assess for microscopic metastatic spread.
Peritoneal implants: Tumour deposits on peritoneal surfaces, classified as invasive or non-invasive, which influence prognosis and guide therapeutic decisions.
References
- Lymph Node Involvement in Recurrent Serous Borderline Ovarian Tumors: Current Evidence, Controversies, and a Review of the Literature. Cancers (2023).
- Management of Borderline ovarian tumors (BOT): results of a retrospective, single center study in Switzerland. Journal of Ovarian Research (2023).
- Advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of borderline ovarian tumors. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences (2024).
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