Four risk of malignancy indices in evaluation of pelvic masses

Copyright © 2012. Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology Due to its bizarre and atypical behavior, accurate diagnosis of a pelvic mass prior to exploration of the pelvic cavity by laparotomy or laparoscopy is a challenge to the gynecologist. Pelvic mass is one of the most common clinical presentations, representing a number of benign and malignant conditions. Beforehand knowledge of whether an ovarian neoplasm is benign or malignant can allow for planning of optimal treatment. Appropriate firstline therapy may have a significant influence on the prognosis for women with ovarian cancer [1-6]. Performance of aggressive cytoreductive surgery demands specific skills and experience, which is often beyond the skill of general gynecologists [7,8]. Adoption of a method for better preoperative discrimination of a pelvic mass would result in more women receiving first-line therapy from adequately trained and experienced personnel. For such referrals to be efficient, specific and sensitive improved methods for diagnosis of ovarian cancer are needed. ORIGINAL ARTICLE Korean J Obstet Gynecol 2012;55(9):636-643 http://dx.doi.org/10.5468/KJOG.2012.55.9.636 pISSN 2233-5188 · eISSN 2233-5196