Ovarian cancer: Women in early stages can have surgery without losing fertility, study finds

Young women diagnosed with an early stage of ovarian cancer may be able to have surgery for the disease without losing their fertility.

Traditionally, treatment of ovarian cancer involves removal of both ovaries and the uterus, which puts younger women into menopause and ends their chances of bearing a child. But a study published Monday in the journal Cancer, by researchers at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, showed that five-year survival rates for stage 1 ovarian cancer patients were the same for women who had both ovaries removed and women who had just the cancerous ovary removed.

The five-year survival rates were also similar among women who had the uterus removed compared to those who didn't.


"If the woman is young, premenopausal and is considering future childbearing, she does not need a hysterectomy and she does not need to be completely castrated," said Dr. Beth Karlan, director of the Women's Cancer Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She was not involved in the research. "It is safe to do a conservation procedure and still effect cure and allow the woman to appreciate her life goals. ... With stage 1, cure is a very realistic goal."

Ovarian cancer, the fifth-leading cause of cancer deaths in women, occurs most often in postmenopausal women and is often detected only after it's advanced. However, up to 17 percent of ovarian cancers occur in women 40 or younger. With rates of the disease in that age group believed to be rising, more attention is being paid to options that preserve fertility.

Freezing eggs or embryos before the removal of the ovaries is one avenue for women who want to preserve the option of having children. However, removal of the ovaries and uterus is unappealing for reasons other than fertility, said Dr. Jason Wright, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of women's health. The loss of hormones produced by these organs can increase a woman's chances of developing some other diseases and diminish quality of life.

It is not clear yet whether premenopausal women who have completed childbearing would benefit from organ-preserving surgery for early-stage ovarian cancer.

By Shari Roan Tribune Newspapers