A clinicopathological analysis of ovarian tumours

We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with ovarian tumors who were admitted to the Aga Khan University Hospital from January 1985 to December 1989. Sixty one cases were reviewed. Mean age of the whole group was 44 years. Majority of the patients presented with abdominal pain and distention. Most frequent physical finding was a palpable mass on pelvic or abdominal examination. Overall these patients had a higher incidence of breast cancer than expected in the general population. Two-thirds of the tumors were malignant. Comparison of the patients with malignancy against those with benign tumors failed to show any correlation with parity. Majority of the patients with malignant disease were above forty and had ultrasound showing a cystic mass over 10 cms in size. Cancer was mostly epithelial in origin, with widespread disease (stage III or IV) at the time of presentation. Benign tumors, mostly of germ cell type, were predominantly seen in patients under the age of forty with ultrasound showing cystic mass of any size from under 5 cms to over 10 cms.