Publication:

Study of histomorphological spectrum of ovarian neoplasms: an institutional perspective

Background Ovarian tumours account for one of the top five gynaecological malignancies in Indian women. The prime objective of the current study is to document the frequency, age distribution and diverse histomorphological spectrum of ovarian tumours in a peripheral institute in South India catering rural population.

Methods The study comprises of retrospective clinico pathological evaluation of 77 cases of ovarian neoplasms in Indian Red Cross Cancer Hospital, Nellore, India during a 4 year period ( January 2015 to December 2018 ). Non neoplastic ovarian lesions were excluded. Gross and microscopic histopathological examination was done for ovarian neoplasms. These were classified according to the WHO classification of ovarian tumours (2003).

Results Out of 77 cases studied, majority were malignant  tumours (72.72%), followed by benign (23.38%) and borderline tumours (3.9%). Age ranged from 11-80 years. Epithelial tumours were the most common (75.32%), followed by sex cord stromal tumours (12.98%), germ cell tumours (9.09%) and metastatic ovarian tumours (1.3%). Serous cystadenoma was the commonest benign tumour and serous papillary carcinoma was the commonest malignant ovarian tumour.

Conclusions It is concluded from this study that on morphological grounds, tumours originating from surface epithelium are the most common. Higher incidence of malignant tumours supports the metaphor often used for ovarian malignancy “ the silent killer ”.