Safety of fertility sparing management in invasive mucinous ovarian carcinoma

Objectives: Mucinous ovarian carcinoma (MOC) is the most common histology in young women eligible for fertility-sparing surgery. The aim of the study was to evaluate the safety and reproductive outcomes after fertility-sparing surgery in invasive mucinous ovarian carcinomas. Methods: A retrospective review was performed of all MOCs diagnosed between 1999 and 2019 at two tertiary care cancer centers. Pathology was reviewed to rule out cases with metastasis from gastrointestinal tract primary. The demographics and survival outcomes were compared between women who underwent fertility-sparing surgery and those who underwent radical surgery (at least hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy±staging). Five-year overall survival (OS) and recurrence free survival (RFS) were calculated from Kaplan-Meier curves and comparisons made using log-rank test. Cox proportional hazard models were constructed to evaluate the effect of fertility sparing surgery on survival. Results: Of 149 women with apparent stage I disease upon presentation, 43 (29%) underwent fertility-sparing surgery in the form of unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy±omentectomy and lymphadenectomy. Compared to women who underwent radical surgery, these women were younger (30 years vs 55 years; p Conclusions: Fertility-sparing surgery in apparent stage I MOC is not associated with worse survival outcomes; however, it is important that candidates are carefully selected based on pathologic factors. In those with aggressive histologic components, radical surgery should be considered.