Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026
Z-Scores for Assessing Ovarian Reserve in Young Patients Undergoing Fertility Preservation
Published on: October 25, 2024
Fertility-sparing surgery for borderline ovarian tumors: oncologic safety and reproductive outcomes
Taejong Song1, Chel Hun Choi, Hwang Shin Park
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Introduction:
To evaluate the oncological safety and reproductive outcomes of patients with borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) treated with fertility-sparing surgery.
Methods:
Patients with BOTs who underwent radical or fertility-sparing surgery between 1997 and 2009 were identified from an institutional database. The recurrence rates were compared between the 2 surgery groups. To compare the reproductive outcomes, all patients who underwent fertility-sparing surgery were interviewed by telephone.
Results:
One hundred forty-three patients underwent radical surgery, and 155 patients underwent fertility-sparing surgery. After a median interval of 38 months from the initial surgery (range, 10-77 months), 19 patients had a recurrence. The recurrence rate was similar in the radical and fertility-sparing surgery groups (4.9% and 7.7%, respectively; P = 0.280). In the fertility-sparing surgery group, however, the main site of recurrence was the remaining ovary that was successfully salvaged with a second round of fertility-sparing surgery. Of 51 patients who attempted to conceive, 45 patients (88.2%) were successful and resulted in 54 term deliveries.
Conclusions:
Fertility-sparing surgery for BOTs is safe and can result in future pregnancies, suggesting that such surgery should be considered for young patients who desire preservation of fertility.
