Are there reliable pre- or intra-operative criteria to prevent laparoscopic surgery on early ovarian carcinoma or borderline tumors?

Purpose: Are there reliable pre- or intra-operative criteria to predict ear ly ovarian carcinoma or borderline tumors? Material and Methods: A retrospective review of the records of 292 patients with a total of 316 laparoscopically treated ovarian tumors was performed. Results: 6 early ovarian carcinoma or borderline tumors of stage pT1a-pT1c were diagnosed intra-operatively or following final histological examinatio n. In four patients a borderline tumor was found, in three cases a stage pT 1c tumor was detected and in one case, a stage pT1a tumor. In one patient a n invasive ovarian carcinoma of stage pT1c originating from a mucinous cyst oma was histologically confirmed. A bilateral Brenner's tumor with unilater al transition into a malignant formation was found in another patient. Conclusion: All applied pre- and intra-operative diagnostic procedures (tum or size, ultrasonography, determination of tumor markers, laparoscopic insp ection by eye-glass magnification) were by themselves too unspecific to exc lude early stages of ovarian carcinoma or borderline tumors definitivly. On ly the histological investigation can distinguish between a benign and a ma lignant process.