[Epithelial ovarian tumors in adolescence: a study of clinical features and treatment]

To study the clinical feature, diagnosis and treatment of epithelial ovarian tumors in adolescent patients.

A retrospective analysis was performed on 29 patients of epithelial ovarian tumors between the age of 13 and 19 during the period of 1983 - 2002 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Twenty of the cases were with benign tumors, four with borderline, and five with malignant tumors.

The average age was 16.5 years old. The majority of patients presented with abdominal pain, abdominal distention and a large pelvic mass. The histological types included mucinous tumor in twenty-two cases, serous tumor in six, and endometroid tumor in one case. Among the nine cases with borderline or malignant tumors, eight were at stage I and one at stage IIIc. Of benign tumor group, an abdominal unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed on nine cases. A laparoscopic cystectomy was undertaken in 11 patients. The nine cases with borderline or malignant tumors underwent cytoreductive surgery and comprehensive staging surgery; fertility was preserved for eight of them. A cisplatin combined chemotherapy was given to four patients with malignant tumors. All of the patients were without evidence of disease recurrence during the follow-up.

The incidence of epithelial ovarian tumors during adolescence increases with age. Mucinous tumor is the most common histological type in adolescent patients. A laparoscopic cystectomy could be considered for most benign patients. The therapeutic strategy should be individualized, and surgical approach should consider both cure and preservation of fertility in malignant cases.