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Obstetrics & Gynecology 2002;99:3-10
© 2002 by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Response and Survival in Patients With Progressive or Recurrent Serous Ovarian Tumors of Low Malignant Potential

Marta A. Crispens, MD, Diane Bodurka, MD, Michael Deavers, MD, Karen Lu, MD, Elvio G. Silva, MD and David M. Gershenson, MD

From the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, Illinois; and the Departments of Gynecologic Oncology, and Pathology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.

Address reprint requests to: Marta A. Crispens, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, PO Box 19640, Springfield, IL 62794-9640; E-mail: mcrispens{at}siumed.edu.


   ABSTRACT
TOP
ABSTRACT
MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the response to therapy and survival of patients with progressive or recurrent serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential.

METHODS: Fifty-three patients with progressive or recurrent serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential were identified. Response was assessed and progression-free and overall survival were analyzed. The influence of clinicopathologic factors on survival was determined.

RESULTS: In 49 patients with known histology of progression or recurrence, 36 (73%) had low-grade serous carcinoma, and 13 (27%) had serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential. Forty-five patients received nonsurgical therapy and had an evaluable response. There were six (13%) patients with a complete response and six (13%) patients with a partial response. The median time to first progression or recurrence was 5.6 years. Median survival from diagnosis of first recurrence was 7.7 years. Median survival from initial diagnosis was 21 years. Nineteen (36%) patients are dead of tumor. Patients who recurred with low-grade serous carcinoma were more likely to die of tumor than those with serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential (47% versus 0%, P = .045). Optimal cytoreduction was associated with improved survival (P = .007).

CONCLUSION: Patients with progressive or recurrent serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential have a long interval from diagnosis to progression and from progression to death, resulting in extended overall survival. Recurrence as low-grade serous carcinoma and failure to achieve optimal secondary cytoreduction were adverse prognostic factors. There were few responses to nonsurgical therapy.

Serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential were originally described by Taylor in 1929 as a group of epithelial tumors which demonstrated a relatively good prognosis when compared with other ovarian cancers.1 This favorable prognosis has been confirmed by a number of studies, which have shown an overall 10-year survival rate of 83–91%.2–4 Even patients with stage III disease appear to have a relatively good outcome, with survival rates ranging from 50–86%.4–6

The treatment of serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential remains controversial. Surgery alone is curative in stage I disease.4–8 Most women are treated with abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. However, patients with serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential tend to be younger than those with frankly invasive carcinoma, and preservation of fertility is frequently an issue.9 Several reports have demonstrated the safety of unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for patients with stage I disease.5,6,8 Other studies have suggested that ovarian cystectomy alone may be adequate therapy.10,11 For patients with advanced stage disease, surgical cytoreduction remains the primary therapy. The role of postoperative chemotherapy in this tumor type is unclear.3,7,12–16

Because recurrences are rare, little is known about the nature and therapy of recurrent disease. The purpose of this study was to review the clinical course of patients seen at our institution with serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential who developed progressive or recurrent disease.


   MATERIALS AND METHODS
TOP
ABSTRACT
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
All patients with the diagnosis of serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential seen at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center from 1956 to 1997 were identified using institutional databases, and their medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Sixty-one patients with progressive or recurrent tumor were identified. Of these, the medical records of 53 patients were found to contain evaluable information. These 53 patients comprise the study group.

Although all cases were reviewed histologically at the time of initial referral, histopathologic review of all primary tumors and recurrent tumor, when available, was performed by one of the authors (EGS). Pathologic material was available for review from recurrent tumors in 49 of 53 cases. In two cases, progression or recurrence was documented by cytologic evaluation of ascites or pleural fluid. In two other cases, clinical criteria alone were used to diagnose progression or recurrence. Serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential were defined by the following pathologic criteria: 1) stratification of the epithelial lining of the papillae; 2) formation of microscopic papillary projections or tufts, often detached, arising from the epithelial lining of the papillae; 3) varying degrees of nuclear atypia; and 4) absence of frank stromal invasion (Figure 1Go). Low-grade serous carcinoma is an invasive serous neoplasm with mild to moderate nuclear atypia. The nuclei are generally regular from area to area, and up to ten mitotic figures per ten high-power fields may be present. Although the architectural pattern may vary, the most common one contains uniform, thin papillae. Psammoma bodies are found in the majority of these tumors (Figure 2Go).



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  		Figure 1. This hematoxylin-eosin-stained photomicrograph demonstrates the characteristics of a serous ovarian tumor of low malignant potential. These tumors are characterized by stratification of the epithelial lining of the papillae, formation of microscopic papillary projections or tufts, often detached, arising from the epithelial lining of the papillae, varying degrees of nuclear atypia, and absence of frank stromal invasion.

Crispens. Recurrent Serous Ovarian Tumors. Obstet Gynecol 2002.

 


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  		Figure 2. This hematoxylin-eosin-stained photomicrograph demonstrates the characteristics of a low-grade serous carcinoma. These tumors are invasive serous neoplasms with mild to moderate nuclear atypia. The nuclei are generally regular from area to area, and up to 10 mitotic figures per 10 high-power fields may be present. The architectural pattern may vary.

Crispens. Recurrent Serous Ovarian Tumors. Obstet Gynecol 2002.

 
Peritoneal implants were classified as either noninvasive or invasive. Noninvasive peritoneal implants were glandular or papillary proliferations with cell detachments. Cellular atypia, psammoma bodies, and desmo-plastic fibrosis were present in some cases.17 Invasive peritoneal implants were lesions similar to noninvasive implants but with epithelial cells infiltrating the stroma.18

Treatment was at the discretion of the attending physician. Not all therapy was administered at our institution. All patients had primary surgery. Surgical staging of these tumors was determined retrospectively according to criteria of the 1985 classification system of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics based on careful review of surgical notes and pathology review.19 For purposes of staging, only documented sites of resection or biopsy were used. Extent of residual disease was determined based on descriptions in written and dictated surgical reports and on clinical evaluation of patients in the early postoperative period. Detailed information concerning postoperative therapy, second-look surgery, and treatment for progression or recurrence was abstracted.

Response to therapy was also determined retrospectively. In all cases, it was based upon the evaluation of measurable disease, either by physical exam or radiographic criteria. Standard definitions were used to evaluate response to therapy. A complete response was defined as the complete disappearance of all clinically measurable disease. A partial response was defined as a 50% or greater decrease in the size of all measurable lesions. Progressive disease was defined as a 50% or greater increase in the size of any measurable lesion or the appearance of any new lesion. Stable disease was defined as a change in measurable disease too small to meet the requirements for a partial response or progressive disease and the appearance of no new lesions for a period of at least 8 weeks.

Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 2.0 (GraphPad Software, Inc., San Diego, CA). Survival was analyzed by the method of Kaplan and Meier. The effect of clinicopathologic variables on survival was evaluated using the log rank test. The relationship between survival and age, type of peritoneal implant, and secondary cytoreductive surgery was determined by the {chi}2 test or Fisher exact test, as appropriate. A P value of <=.05 was considered statistically significant.


   RESULTS
TOP
ABSTRACT
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Table 1Go summarizes the patient characteristics at initial diagnosis. The mean age of the 53 patients at diagnosis was 37 (range 20–61 years). The majority of the patients were white (85%). Most patients had their initial diagnosis in the 1970s or 1980s. The majority of patients (56%) had stage III disease, and 24% were unstaged. The most common initial surgical procedure was abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and omentectomy. Two patients were treated with ovarian cystectomy alone. Over half of the patients (58%) had no gross residual disease at the completion of their primary surgery. Thirty-five patients had peritoneal implants at the time of initial surgery. Twenty-three patients (66%) had noninvasive implants, and 12 (34%) had invasive implants. Forty patients received some form of postoperative therapy. The most common postoperative treatment was platinum-based chemotherapy, which was administered to 21 patients.


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  		Table 1. Characteristics at Initial Diagnosis of Patients With Progressive or Recurrent Serous Ovarian Tumors of Low Malignant Potential (n = 53)
 
Six patients had progression of disease on primary therapy, and 47 recurred 6 or more months after completion of primary therapy. The median time to first progression or recurrence was 5.6 years (range 0.25–22.3 years). Table 2Go summarizes the site of first progression or recurrence. Most patients recurred within the peritoneal cavity.


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  		Table 2. Site of Initial Progression or Recurrence of Serous Ovarian Tumors of Low Malignant Potential
 
Of the nine patients who recurred in a residual ovary, four were treated with surgery alone, four were treated with surgery followed by chemotherapy, and one was treated with surgery followed by abdominopelvic radiotherapy. Only one of these patients is dead, and she died of unknown causes. Six of these patients are alive without evidence of disease, and two are alive with disease.

Forty-nine patients had surgical or biopsy documentation of a least one episode of progression or recurrence. In these 49 patients, the histology of the progression or recurrence was serous ovarian tumor of low malignant potential in 13 (27%) and low-grade serous carcinoma in 36 (73%). Two patients had progression or recurrence documented by cytology of ascites or pleural fluid. In two other patients, clinical criteria alone (physical examination, radiologic studies, or increasing serum CA-125) were used to diagnose progression or recurrence. The pathology of progression or recurrence was a significant predictor of survival, with patients who progressed or recurred as low-grade serous carcinoma (17 of 36, 47%) being more likely to die of disease than those who progressed or recurred as serous ovarian tumor of low malignant potential (zero of 13, 0%) (P = .045). Figure 3Go shows the Kaplan-Meier survival curves for patients progressing or recurring as low-grade serous carcinoma compared with those progressing or recurring as serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential.



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  		Figure 3. Kaplan-Meier curve demonstrating a significantly better survival for patients with serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential recurring as serous tumors of low malignant potential (SLMP) (n = 13), compared with those recurring as low-grade serous carcinomas (LGSC) (n = 36). The comparison of the survival curves was performed using the log rank test.

Crispens. Recurrent Serous Ovarian Tumors. Obstet Gynecol 2002.

 
Thirty-five patients underwent 48 secondary surgical procedures for progression or recurrence. For each patient, the best surgical result was correlated with her outcome. Table 3Go summarizes residual disease at the conclusion of surgical cytoreduction for progression or recurrence. The surgical outcome was a significant predictor of survival. Patients who had greater than 2-cm residual disease (suboptimal cytoreduction) at the completion of surgery were significantly more likely to die of disease than patients who had less than or equal to 2-cm residual disease (optimal cytoreduction) (P = .007). The Kaplan-Meier survival curves for survival of patients undergoing optimal versus suboptimal cytoreductive surgery is shown in Figure 4Go. There was no influence of age at diagnosis or type of peritoneal implant on survival.


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  		Table 3. Outcomes for Patients With Recurrent or Progressive Serous Ovarian Tumors of Low Malignant Potential Who Underwent Secondary Cytoreductive Surgery
 


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  		Figure 4. Kaplan-Meier curve demonstrating that patients with recurrent or progressive serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential, who can be optimally cytoreduced to less than or equal to 2-cm maximal residual disease at secondary surgery (n = 7), have statistically significantly improved survival compared with patients whose tumors suboptimally cytoreduced to greater than 2-cm maximal residual disease (n = 10). Survival comparisons were performed using the log rank test.

Crispens. Recurrent Serous Ovarian Tumors. Obstet Gynecol 2002.

 
Of the 53 patients in this study with progressive or recurrent serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential, 49 received one or more nonsurgical treatment regimens. Of these 49 patients, 45 were evaluable for response to treatment. Twenty-seven patients received more than one nonsurgical therapy during their treatment for progression or recurrence. The median number of regimens received was two (range 1–7). Forty-two patients received cytotoxic chemotherapy, 21 patients received hormonal therapy, and six patients were treated with radiotherapy. Cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents used, either alone or in combination, included cisplatin, carboplatin, paclitaxel, actinomycin-D, chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, etoposide, 5-fluorouracil, hexamethylmelamine, methotrexate, melphalan, thiotepa, topotecan, and vinorelbine. Hormonal agents used, either alone or in combination, included ethinyl estradiol, flutamide, leuprolide, medroxyprogesterone acetate, megestrol, tamoxifen, and testosterone. Radiotherapeutic modalities used included local radiotherapy to a site of recurrence, whole pelvic radiotherapy, and whole abdominal radiotherapy.

There were six of 45 (13%) patients who had complete responses and six of 45 (13%) patients who had partial responses. No patient had a response to more than one nonsurgical treatment regimen. Of the responses, six of 12 (50%) were to platinum-based chemotherapy regimens, three of 12 (25%) were to paclitaxel, one of 12 (8%) was to combination cyclophosphamide, hexamethylmelamine, 5-fluorouracil, and methotrexate chemotherapy, one of 12 (8%) was to leuprolide, and one of 12 (8%) was to whole pelvic radiotherapy. Details regarding response data are presented in Table 4Go.


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  		Table 4. Responders Among Patients With Recurrent or Persistent Serous Ovarian Tumors of Low Malignant Potential
 
There were 21 of 45 (47%) patients who had stable disease to one or more nonsurgical treatment regimens. Stable disease to platinum-based chemotherapy occurred in 11 patients, to paclitaxel in one patient, to nonplatinum, nonpaclitaxel chemotherapy in five patients, to hormonal therapy in eight patients, and to radiotherapy in three patients. The median duration of stable disease was 12 months (range 3–77.5 months).

At the time of analysis, 14 of the 53 patients (26%) were alive and without evidence of disease, 16 (30%) were alive with disease, 19 (36%) were dead of disease, three (6%) were dead of unknown cause, and one (2%) was dead of other causes.

The median survival from diagnosis of progression or recurrence was 7.7 years (range 0.5–18.8 years). The median survival from initial diagnosis was 21 years (range 0.75–34.3 years).


   DISCUSSION
TOP
ABSTRACT
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
REFERENCES
 
This study spans a period of approximately 41 years from 1956 to 1997. Although the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics did not officially recognize the existence of tumors of "low potential malignancy" until 1971,20 and the World Health Organization did not recognize these tumors as separate entities until 1973,21 we were able to identify patients who had these tumors before 1971 by a complete pathology review of all patients with serous ovarian tumors presenting to our institution. The length of observation may be a concern because detection, treatment, and outcome have certainly changed significantly during this period. However, such a long length of observation is necessary to understand the natural history of a tumor whose median time to recurrence and median survival are long. We have observed a median time to first progression/recurrence of 5.6 years and a median survival from initial diagnosis of 21 years. Studies of this indolent disease must necessarily include protracted observation periods.

Serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential have a better prognosis than their frankly invasive counterparts. However, over a 10-year follow-up period, approximately 10–15% of patients will relapse.2–4 A number of potential risk factors for recurrence have been evaluated in previous studies. The two that appear consistently to be adverse prognostic factors at diagnosis are stage and residual disease at the completion of primary surgery.5,6,8,17,18,22–24 Patients with stage I ovarian serous borderline tumors have a relapse rate of approximately 1%, whereas patients with stages II–IV have a relapse rate in the range of 20%. This finding may be at least partially related to the ability to achieve optimal cytoreduction. In a long-term, follow-up study of patients with serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential, Leake et al noted that in patients with stages II and III disease, mortality was 8% in patients with no residual disease at the completion of primary surgery as compared with 31% in patients with residual disease.6 Bostwick et al also noted that the inability to completely excise all visible tumor at the time of initial diagnosis or at the time of recurrence carried an increased risk of persistent or recurrent neoplasm.5

This study demonstrates that residual disease at the completion of secondary cytoreduction is an important prognostic factor for patients with recurrent serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential. Only 12% of patients whose tumor was optimally cytoreduced died of their disease compared with 60% of those whose tumor was suboptimally cytoreduced. Aggressive surgical debulking of patients with persistent or recurrent disease would appear to be the best available treatment for serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential, particularly in light of their relatively poor response to nonsurgical therapy.

The other factor we identified, which had a statistically significant influence on survival, was the histology of the recurrence. Patients whose recurrence was low-grade serous carcinoma had a significantly worse outcome than those whose recurrence consisted of serous ovarian tumor of low malignant potential. To our knowledge, this is the largest series detailing the histology of recurrence in patients with serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential. We were able to identify only 17 patients from seven previous reports in which the histology of the recurrence was described.2,3,7,22,24–26 Whether such disease represents a true recurrence or a new primary tumor remains unclear. Future clonality studies hopefully will elucidate the biology of this phenomenon. For the patient, however, such a distinction may be merely academic.

Previous reports have detailed the safety of conservative surgery with resultant preservation of fertility for young patients with stage I serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential.5,6,8,10,11,27 In this study, nine patients were identified who had recurred within the residual ovary after conservative surgery of serous ovarian tumor of low malignant potential. Not all of these patients were completely staged. Six (67%) of these patients are alive without evidence of disease, two (22%) are alive with disease, and one (11%) is dead of an unknown cause. Most, if not all, of these lesions probably consisted of new primary tumors rather than recurrent tumors. Again, future clonality studies will resolve this issue. These findings are consistent with those described in previous reports and are not inconsistent with the concept of conservative surgery for stage I disease confirmed by comprehensive surgical staging in women desiring to maintain fertility.

Very little information exists regarding the chemosensitivity of serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential. A few previous studies have provided detailed information on the effectiveness of postoperative chemotherapy in the treatment of primary serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential with peritoneal implants.3,15,16 Fort et al15 described their experience with postoperative therapy. Nineteen patients were observed to have residual disease after primary surgery for serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential. Subsequent therapy included alkylating agent chemotherapy, multiagent chemotherapy frequently including cisplatin, pelvic irradiation, or pelvic irradiation plus alkylating agent chemotherapy. Of these patients, 12 (63%) were found to have negative second-look laparotomies. In a subsequent report from the same institution, Barakat et al16 observed surgical complete responses in ten of 16 patients (62%) with serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential who were treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. In a study from our institution, we found that 80% of 20 women who had macroscopic residual disease at initial surgery responded to chemotherapy—eight complete responders, eight partial responders, and four nonresponders—as evidenced by second-look surgical findings.3 Of course, in all these reports, residual disease may represent unresected peritoneal implants—either noninvasive or invasive—rather than the primary ovarian tumor.

Our findings do not demonstrate a significant response to nonsurgical therapy among patients with persistent or recurrent disease. We observed a 13% clinical complete response rate and a 13% clinical partial response rate. Half of the responses occurred in patients who received platinum-based regimens, and another 25% of responses occurred in patients receiving paclitaxel alone. However, the number of patients responding to any therapy is small. With current information, it would seem reasonable to recommend either carboplatin, paclitaxel, or both for nonsurgical treatment of progressive or recurrent serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential that recur as low-grade serous carcinomas.

Hormonal therapy with either tamoxifen or leuprolide has been shown to have, at best, a 10–15% response rate in the treatment of invasive epithelial ovarian carcinoma.28–31 There are also case reports that describe complete serologic and clinical responses to either tamoxifen or leuprolide in patients with advanced stage serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential.32,33 However, the present study did not confirm the efficacy of hormonal therapy alone for progressive or recurrent serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential; only a single partial response to leuprolide was observed.

One or more episode of stable disease was observed in almost half of patients. Stable disease was noted to platinum-based chemotherapy in 11 patients, to paclitaxel in one patient, to nonplatinum, nonpaclitaxel chemotherapy in five patients, to hormonal therapy in eight patients, and to radiotherapy in three patients. The significance of stable disease in patients whose tumor may inherently have an indolent course is uncertain.

In summary, recurrent serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential have an indolent course, as evidenced by long median survival time, and respond poorly to available systemic treatment. Recurrence of these tumors as low-grade serous carcinoma is a significant adverse prognostic factor. Secondary cytoreductive surgery appears to be beneficial, as patients whose disease was optimally cytoreduced had a significantly better survival than those whose disease could not be optimally cytoreduced. Major challenges for the future include defining the clonality of these so-called recurrent lesions and identifying more effective therapies.

Received January 30, 2001. Received in revised form August 29, 2001. Accepted September 6, 2001.


   REFERENCES
TOP
ABSTRACT
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
1. Taylor H. Malignant and semimalignant tumors of the ovary. Surg Gynecol Obstet 1929;48:204–30.

2. Nikrui N. Survey of clinical behavior of patients with borderline epithelial tumors of the ovary. Gynecol Oncol 1981;12:107–19.[Medline]

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4. Manchul LA, Simm J, Levin W, Fyles AW, Dembo AJ, Pringle JF, et al. Borderline epithelial ovarian tumors: A review of 81 cases with an assessment of the impact of treatment. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 1992;22:867–74.[Medline]

5. Bostwick DG, Tazelaar HD, Ballon SC, Hendrickson MR, Kempson RL. Ovarian epithelial tumors of borderline malignancy: A clinical and pathologic study of 109 cases. Cancer 1986;58:2052–64.[Medline]

6. Leake JF, Currie JL, Rosenshein NB, Woodruff JD. Long-term follow-up of serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential. Gynecol Oncol 1992;47:150–8.[Medline]

7. Kliman L, Rome RM, Fortune DW. Low malignant potential tumors of the ovary: A study of 76 cases. Obstet Gynecol 1986;68:338–34.[Medline]

8. Barnhill DR, Kurman RJ, Brady MF, Omura GA, Yordan E, Given FT, et al. Preliminary analysis of the behavior of stage I ovarian serous tumors of low malignant potential: A Gynecologic Oncology Group study. J Clin Oncol 1995; 13:2752–6.[Abstract]

9. Aure JC, Hoey K, Kolstad P. Clinical and histologic studies of ovarian carcinoma. Long-term follow-up of 990 cases. Obstet Gynecol 1971;37:1–9.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

10. Tazelaar HD, Bostwick DG, Ballon SC, Hendrickson MR, Kempson RL. Conservative treatment of borderline ovarian tumors. Obstet Gynecol 1985;66:417–22.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

11. Lim-Tan SK, Gajiga HE, Scully RE. Ovarian cystectomy for serous borderline tumors: A follow-up study of 35 cases. Obstet Gynecol 1988;72:775–81.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

12. Rice LW, Berkowitz RS, Mark SD, Yavner DL, Lage JM. Epithelial ovarian tumors of borderline malignancy. Gynecol Oncol 1990;39:195–8.[Medline]

13. Nation JG, Krepart GV. Ovarian carcinoma of low malignant potential: Staging and treatment. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1986;154:290–3.[Medline]

14. Chambers JT, Merino MJ, Kohorn EL, Schwartz PE. Borderline ovarian tumors. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1988; 159:1088–94.[Medline]

15. Fort GM, Pierce VK, Saigo PE, Hoskins WJ, Lewis JL. Evidence for the efficacy of adjuvant therapy in epithelial tumors of low malignant potential. Gynecol Oncol 1989; 32:269–72.[Medline]

16. Barakat RR, Benjamin I, Lewis JL, Saigo RE, Curtin JP, Hoskins WJ. Platinum-based chemotherapy for advanced-stage serous ovarian carcinoma of low malignant potential. Gynecol Oncol 1995;59:390–3.[Medline]

17. Gershenson DM, Silva EG, Tortolero-Luna G, Levenback C, Morris M, Tornos C. Serous borderline tumors of the ovary with noninvasive peritoneal implants. Cancer 1998; 83:2157–63.[Medline]

18. Gershenson DM, Silva EG, Levy L, Burke TW, Wolf JK, Tornos C. Ovarian serous borderline tumors with invasive peritoneal implants. Cancer 1998;82:1096–103.[Medline]

19. Staging announcement: FIGO Cancer Committee. Gynecol Oncol 1986;25:383–5.

20. International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics. Classification and staging of malignant tumors in the female pelvis. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 1971;50:1–7.[Medline]

21. Serov SF, Scully RE, Solvin LH. International histological classification of tumors, no. 9: Histological typing of ovarian tumors, World Health Organization, Geneva, 1973.

22. Michael H, Roth L. Invasive and noninvasive implants in ovarian serous tumors of low malignant potential. Cancer 1986;57:1240–7.[Medline]

23. Hopkins MP, Kumar NB, Morley GW. An assessment of pathologic features and treatment modalities in ovarian tumors of low malignant potential. Obstet Gynecol 1987; 70:923–9.[Medline]

24. Bell DA, Weinstock MA, Scully RE. Peritoneal implants of ovarian serous borderline tumors: Histologic features and prognosis. Cancer 1988;62:2212–22.[Medline]

25. Seidman JD, Kurman RJ. Subclassification of serous borderline tumors of the ovary into benign and malignant types. Am J Surg Pathol 1996;20:1331–45.[Medline]

26. Kennedy AW, Hart WR. Ovarian papillary serous tumors of low malignant potential (serous borderline tumors): A long-term follow-up study, including patients with micro-invasion, lymph node metastasis, and transformation to invasive serous carcinoma. Cancer 1996;78:278–86.[Medline]

27. Morris RT, Gershenson DM, Silva EG, Follen M, Morris M, Wharton JT. Outcome and reproductive function after conservative surgery for borderline ovarian tumors. Obstet Gynecol 2000;95:541–7.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

28. Markman M, Iseminger KA, Hatch KD, Creasman WT, Barnes W, Dubeshter B. Tamoxifen in platinum-refractory ovarian cancer: A Gynecologic Oncology Group ancillary report. Gynecol Oncol 1996;62:4–6.[Medline]

29. Marinaccio M, D’Addario V, Serrati A, Pinto V, Cagnazzo G. Leuprolide acetate as a salvage-therapy in relapsed epithelial ovarian cancer. Eur J Gynaecol Oncol 1996;17: 286–8.[Medline]

30. Kavanagh JJ, Roberts W, Townsend P, Hewitt S. Leuprolide acetate in the treatment of refractory or persistent epithelial ovarian cancer. J Clin Oncol 1989;7:115–8.[Abstract]

31. Weiner SA, Alberts DS, Surwit EA, Davis J, Grosso D. Tamoxifen therapy in recurrent epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Gynecol Oncol 1987;27:208–13.[Medline]

32. Llarena E, Kudelka AP, Tornos C, Cedillo GF, Lopez A, Edwards CL, et al. Remission of a chemotherapy resistant tumor of low malignant potential with tamoxifen. Eur J Gynaecol Oncol 1997;18:23–5.[Medline]

33. Tresukosol D, Kudelka AP, Edwards CL, Silva EG, Kanojia M, Kavanagh JJ. Leuprolide acetate in advanced ovarian serous tumor of low malignant potential: A case report. J Reprod Med 1996;41:363–6.[Medline]




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