Epithelial ovarian tumors in the reproductive age group: age is not an independent prognostic factor

While ovarian carcinoma is rare in the reproductive age group, these younger patients are known to fare better than the older patients. To determine whether age is an independent prognostic factor, as well as to investigate the clinicopathologic profile and survival rate of young women with ovarian carcinoma, a retrospective analysis in a series of patients aged 40 years or younger was performed.

We collected data on 74 patients with borderline or invasive ovarian carcinoma treated at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Florence between 1969 and 1994. The median follow-up was 72 months (range, 11-288 months). To assess the clinicopathologic profile and survival differences according to age, the series was subdivided into "very young" (30 years or younger) and "young" (31-40 years) groups of 34 and 40 patients, respectively. Survival rates (Kaplan-Meier method) were compared by the log rank test. A multivariate analysis (Cox proportional hazards) was used to determine the independent effect of each variable on survival.

The overall 5-year and 10-year survival rates were 58.2% and 46.1%, respectively. Several prognostic factors were found significant by univariate analysis, including stage (P < 0.001), grade (P < 0.001), residual disease (P < 0.001), histologic type (P < 0.05), and age (< or = 30 years vs. 31-40 years; P = 0.009). Five year survival rates for the patients age 30 years and younger and patients age 31-40 years were 71.3% and 47.1%, respectively. In the former group, low malignant potential tumors and well differentiated carcinomas were significantly more frequent (68.8% vs. 37.5%; P = 0.01). In the multivariate analysis, only stage (I vs. >I; P = 0.004), grade (0-1 vs. 2-3; P = 0.03) and residual disease (P = 0.02) were found to be significant independent prognostic factors, whereas age (< or = 30 years vs. 31-40 years) yielded no independent information (P = 0.36).

Epithelial ovarian cancer patients age 30 years or younger have a more favorable prognosis because of a higher rate of early stage, low grade tumors. Patients aged 31-40 years also show a more favorable disease profile and clinical outcome, although to a lesser extent, than the average ovarian cancer population. Age does not emerge as an independent prognostic factor for ovarian carcinoma in women younger than 40 years.