Spectrum of ovarian tumors: Histopathological study of 218 cases

Ovarian tumors are a group of neoplasms that have diverse spectrum of features according to the particular tumor entity. Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death in females. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of ovarian tumors and its distribution according to cell of origin and age group.

This is a retrospective study of all cases of ovarian tumors collected during a period of 9 years from the Histopathology Department of Al-Gamhuria Teaching Hospital from 1993-1996 and Ibn Sina laboratory in Aden Governorate from 2009- 2013.

The tumors are grouped according to the nature of tumor whether benign, borderline or malignant, and according to cell of origin and age group. Benign tumors are the most frequent (86.7%), and malignant are less (13.3%). The total surface epithelial tumors are 63.7%, benign serous tumors are the most common (44%), followed by mucinous t mors (9.6%), serous tadenocarcinoma (2.8%), mucinous cystadenocarcinoma (1.8%), serous cystadenoma borderline (1.4%), and endometrioid adenocarcinoma (1.4%). The least frequent tumors are mucinous cystadenoma borderline and poorly differentiated carcinoma at 0.9% each. Tumors derived from sex cord stromal tissue as benign fibroma and thecoma comprise 5%, while malignant tumors are granulosa cell tumor (1.4%) and androblast ma moderately differentiated (0.5%). Tumors derived from germ cell as benign cystic teratoma are 26.6% while malignant tumors were dysgerminoma (0.9%) and malignant teratoma (0.5%).

Benign tumors outnumber the malignant tumors. Surface epithelial tumors are the most common class of tumors. Bilateral tumors are not frequent. The high death rates are due to advanced malignancy during the time of diagnosis from the majority of cases.