Dysgerminoma of the ovary: review of 27 cases

Twenty-seven patients with pure dysgerminoma were seen at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Bombay, between January 1980 and December 1984. Of the 10 patients in stage I, 2 patients underwent a unilateral salpingoophorectomy (USO) and were kept under observation without any adjuvant therapy, while the remaining patients received adjuvant treatment following surgery. All of the 6 patients in stage II and 4 of 7 in stage III had total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (TAHBSO) followed by postoperative radiotherapy. One patient presented in stage IV and 3 patients presented with recurrence after previous definitive treatment undertaken at other institutions. The disease free, as well as the overall survival, at 108 months, for the 24 cases primarily treated at this institution, is 81% and 88% respectively, and, for patients in stages I and II, 100% (Kaplan-Meier estimation). The need for controlled clinical trials to devise optimal therapy in the early clinical stages and use of chemotherapy for advanced stages of this highly curable entity are stressed.