newjerseynewsroom.com

Young women with early-stage ovarian cancer can preserve fertility without compromising the success and effectiveness of surgical treatment. These are the findings of a new study, published this September in the journal Cancer.

Researchers in New York studied the cases of 1,186 women under the age of 50 who were diagnosed with early, or stage I, ovarian cancer. Data came from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, a large population-based cancer registry.

Their analysis shows that women who opted to have only the cancerous ovary removed experienced the same five-year survival rates as women with the same diagnosis who chose the traditional treatment-having both ovaries and the uterus removed.

"Fertility sparing surgery for women who want to preserve their ability to have children has been an option for at least the last 10 years; however, there has been little evidence to support this practice," says Robert Burger, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., F.A.C.S., who directs the Women's Cancer Center at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

"This study is important because it shows that the treatment outcomes for young women with early-stage disease who choose fertility-sparing surgery are just as good while addressing a key quality-of-life concern."

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women in the United States. While many patients are postmenopausal women, often diagnosed with advanced stage disease, about 17 percent of women with ovarian cancer are age 40 and younger.

"Early-stage ovarian cancer is a fairly rare condition and is more common in younger patients," Burger notes.

"While freezing eggs or embryos offers another option for preserving the ability to have children," adds Myron Bednar, M.D. Medical Oncologist at Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center, "there are other issues these women face as they make decisions about treatment with their physicians. The traditional surgical approach of removing both ovaries and the uterus sends women into early menopause, and deprives them of the hormone estrogen, which protects against cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis."

As part of the study, researchers also examined the cases of more than 2,900 women to determine the effects of uterine preservation. While about 23 percent opted for the uterus-sparing surgery, most had a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus). The researchers concluded that there was no difference in treatment outcomes between the two groups.

— ANDY LAGOMARSINO, NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM