Ovarian tumors associated with pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE

The clinical characteristics of ovarian tumors associated with pregnancy were investigated.

METHOD: A series of 106 cases of ovarian tumor surgically resected during pregnancy was investigated with respect to incidence, clinicopathologic features and outcome.

RESULTS

Among 106 cases undergoing ovarian surgery, 31 (29.2%), 70 (66%) and five (4.7%) were diagnosed as physiologic, benign and malignant, respectively. The incidence of benign neoplastic tumor was 1:112 deliveries and that of malignant neoplastic tumor was 1:1684 deliveries. Dermoid cyst was the most common lesion found. Of the 70 benign tumors, 51 (72.9%) were greater than 8 cm in diameter and 55 (78.6%) were preoperatively diagnosed before the 10th gestational week; 44 (62.9%) were operated before the 15th gestational week. The spontaneous abortion rate in 80 cases followed up after surgery was only 10%, 61 patients (76.3%) progressing to full-term delivery. Five malignant tumors included three epithelial carcinomas, one embryonal carcinoma and one dysgerminoma.

CONCLUSION

Ovarian surgery in the first trimester for persistent or enlarging masses is important to obtain a final histologic diagnosis and rule out malignancy.