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Objective: To report a single-center experience in non-epithelial malignant ovarian tumours (NEMOT), by presenting different clinical and pathological characteristics, management and outcomes., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed electronic files of all female patients who underwent surgery for NEMOT at the Gynecology Department of King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from July 2003 to July 2019. We collected baseline demographic, anthropomorphic and clinical data; pathological characteristics; management and follow-up data; and outcomes including residual disease, recurrence and last follow-up status (deceased or alive)., Results: Thirty-three women were included; mean (standard deviation) age = 33.24 (17.72) years, range = 4, 86 years. Granulosa cell tumor was the most frequent subtype diagnosed in 17 (51.5%) patients, followed by germ cell tumours 13 (39.4%). The majority of patients were diagnosed at FIGO Stage I (22, 66.7%) and with tumor Grade 1 (23, 69.7%), while 8 (24.2%) were diagnosed with Grade 3 tumors. Granulosa cell and Sertoli-Leydig cell tumours were diagnosed at an older age (mean age = 39.30 vs. 23.92 years) compared to germ cell tumours, respectively (P = 0.012). Two-third of the patients benefited from conservative surgery including oophorectomy + staging, and 16 (48.5%) benefited from chemotherapy with bleomycin, etoposide and platinum being the most common protocol (13, 39.4%) for germ cell tumours. Postoperatively, only 2 (6.1%) patients had residual disease. Recurrence and mortality were reported in one and four patients, respectively, resulting in recurrence rate = 3.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.01%, 15.8%) and mortality rate = 12.1% (95% CI = 3.4%, 28.2%)., Conclusions: The present series of NEMOT was predominated by sex cord-stromal cell tumors, which were diagnosed in patients with older age, while germ cell tumours were underrepresented. Although survival rates were comparable to those reported internationally, more consideration should be given to following up patients regarding fertility outcomes to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of treatment success and quality of care., Competing Interests: None

Objectives: To assess survival and prognostic factors among women with epithelial ovarian cancer in Western Saudi Arabia., Methods: A retrospective cohort study was carried out between October 2000 and May 2018, reviewing clinical and pathology data of all women who underwent staging or debulking surgery for epithelial ovarian cancer. Analysis of disease-free survival (DFS), overall survivals (OS) and the associated factors used Kaplan-Meier method in addition to cox multivariate regression., Results: A total of 144 patients were included (median age=49.5 years), with a median follow-up time was 3.4 years. Majority (59.7%) of the patients were diagnosed at an advanced stage (III or IV). The mean (95% CI) DFS was 82.3 (67.8-96.8) months, OS was 96.2 (81.3-111.2) months, and the 5-year survival rate was estimated as 38.9%. Univariate analysis showed that older age, clear cell or papillary carcinoma subtypes, serous type, advanced International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage and the presence of residual disease were associated with poorer DFS and OS (log rank <0.05). Cox regression showed FIGO stage and residual disease >1cm as the strongest prognostic factors independently associated with DFS and OS., Conclusion: Improving early diagnosis and achieving optimal cytoreduction are the most critical challenges to achieve significant positive impact on survival of women with epithelial ovarian cancer., (Copyright: © Saudi Medical Journal.)

Background : TIMP3 is a multifunctional proteolytic enzyme belonging to TIMPs family and acts as a potent inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). TIMP3 possesses a tumor suppresive function by directly promoting tumor cell apoptosis, preventing angiogenesis and extracellular matrix remodelling. The lower expression of TIMP3 was associated with poor prognosis and overall survival in various cancer types. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of TIMP3 protein expression with ovarian cancer (OC) clinicopathological features and survival outcomes. Patients and Methods : One hundred forty four of OC FFPE samples were collected from King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Saudi Arabia and constructed in tissue microarray (TMA) slides. Automated Ventana immunostainer platform was used to evaluate TIMP3 protein expression patterns. Results : The study showed that TIMP3 exhibits cytoplasmic localisation. This TIMP3 protein expression was not associated with age, tumor size and the involvement of lymph nodes ( p > 0.05). However, it was significantly correlated with tumor stage ( p < 0.05) and borderline significant with endpoint status ( p = 0.07). Interestingly, the Kaplan-Meier analysis of disease specific survival (DSS) outcomes showed a significant association ( p = 0.02, log rank) between OC patients with higher TIMP3 expression compared to those with lower expression. In fact, OC patients with high TIMP3 expression had longer survivals. Multivariate Cox's regression analysis suggests that low TIMP3 protein expression pattern is an independent poor survival marker ( p = 0.025). Conclusion : Cytoplasmic TIMP3 protein expression could be used as a good prognosticator to stratify poorly prognostic OC patients in order to personlaize their disease management.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) disruption and cytoskeleton reorganization are crucial events in tumor proliferation and invasion. E-Cadherin (E-CAD) is a member of cell adhesion molecules involved in cell-cell junctions and ECM stability. The loss of E-CAD expression is associated with cancer progression and metastasis. This retrospective study aimed to assess E-CAD protein expression in ovarian cancer (OC) tissues and to evaluate its prognostic value., Patients and Methods: 143 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks of primary advanced stages OC were retrieved and used to construct Tissue microarrays. Automated immunohistochemistry technique was performed to evaluate E-CAD protein expression patterns in OC., Results: E-CAD protein expression was significantly correlated with OC histological subtype (p < 0.0001), while borderline significant correlations were observed with both tumor grade (p = 0.06) and stage (p = 0.07). Interestingly, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that OC patients with membranous E-CAD expression survived longer than those with no E-CAD expression mainly those at advanced stages (p < 0.009). Further in silico analysis confirms the key roles of E-CAD in OC molecular functions., Conclusion: we reported a prognosis value of membranous E-CAD in advanced stage OC patients. Further validation using larger cohorts is recommended to extract clinically relevant outcomes towards better OC management and individualized oncology.

Objective: To evaluate the safety, ovarian function preservation, reproductive ability, and the emotional attitude after a conservative surgery for ovarian cancer., Methods: This is a retrospective study of women conservatively treated for primary ovarian cancer between January 2000 and December 2010 at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Patient's charts were reviewed for pathology, stage, requirement of adjuvant chemotherapy, and recurrent, as well as menstrual history, and pregnancy after treatment. During follow up the patients were asked 3 questions about their emotional attitude toward their disease., Results: There were 39 patients identified (mean age 22 years). Thirty-one (80%) patients were presented with stage I and 20 (52%) were Germ cell tumor. Fifteen (39%) patients received initial chemotherapy after primary surgery. Three (8%) patients had recurrent. Thirty-eight (98%) patients retuned to a regular menstruation after treatment. Eight patients (20%) had a normal pregnancy. Of the respondents to the given questions, 10 (44%) patients claimed that their disease did not have any impact on their desire to have children and 12 patients (52%) feared that their ovarian disease could have damage in their reproductive potential. Only 9 patients (39%) had no concerned about the effect of the treatment they received on the offspring., Conclusion: Fertility sparing surgery in ovarian cancer appears to be safe, and a practical treatment option in selected cases with ovarian cancer diagnosis. Most patients can have ovarian preservation after treatment and should not be discouraged from getting pregnant.

Objective: The aim of this study was to review the clinical outcomes of patients with borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) at Tom Baker Cancer Centre (TBCC) and to assess the value of surgical staging., Methods: This retrospective study included 138 patients treated for BOTs at TBCC between January 1994 and December 2005. Patients were divided into two groups: group I with complete surgical staging (n = 89) and group II with incomplete surgical staging (n = 49). This population-based study identified patients using the Alberta Cancer Registry. Charts were reviewed by a single person. Data extracted included demographic information and prognostic factors such as age, histological type, laterality of the cyst, presence of microinvasion, and the type of surgical procedure. Data were extracted and entered into a study database for analysis. Overall survival and overall recurrence-free survival of both groups were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Risk factors for recurrence were analyzed using Cox regression analysis., Results: A total of 138 patients were enrolled, with a mean age of 46 years. The median follow-up time was 37 months. The most common histological type of BOT was the serous type found in 70 (50.7%) patients. Microinvasion was identified in four (2.9%) patients. Twelve patients were found to have implants as result of the staging procedure; two of them were invasive implants and both required chemotherapy. Forty-three (31%) patients had conservative surgery and 95 (68.8%) patients had non-conservative surgery. Nine (6.5%) patients experienced recurrence: five (5.6%) patients in group I versus four (8.2%) patients in group II. The presence of microinvasion is the risk factor for recurrence (P = 0.013)., Conclusions: The indications for restaging surgery remain controversial, as there was no difference in recurrence rates observed between the study groups. However, surgical staging is important for identifying invasive extraovarian implants that need to be treated with chemotherapy. For patients who have conservative surgery, close- and long-term follow-up is required.

Objective: To report a case of endometriosis associated with massive ascites and an elevated CA-125 level., Design: Case report., Setting: Tertiary care center., Patient(s): A 26-year-old woman presented with massive ascites and an increased CA-125 level suggestive of ovarian cancer., Intervention(s): Ultrasonography, laparotomy, and bilateral ovarian cystectomy and reconstruction. Endometriosis was diagnosed postoperatively on the basis of histopathology. The patient received 6 months of treatment with a GnRH analogue., Main Outcome Measure(s): Ultrasound examination 6 months after surgery to evaluate for ascites or recurrent ovarian cysts., Result(s): Frozen sections obtained at laparotomy and ovarian cystectomy ruled out a malignancy. The final histologic report was compatible with a diagnosis of endometriosis. After 6 months of treatment with the GnRH analogue, the patient experienced a progressive reduction of the ascitic fluid and full remission after 2 years., Conclusion(s): Endometriosis associated with massive bloody ascites is an unusual occurrence. This report draws attention to this condition as a complication of endometriosis. For this reason, endometriosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of reproductive-age women presenting with an apparent ovarian malignancy.

A 31-year-old woman presented to King Abdulaziz University Hospital complaining of an abdominal pain and a rapid increase in abdominal girth. An ultrasound and MRI, revealed a huge cystic ovarian mass without ascites. Ovarian tumor markers were all within normal range. Exploratory laparotomy showed huge right ovarian mass with omental mass. Frozen section from the omentum showed metastatic malignant neoplasm. Total abdominal hysterectomy was carried out with bilateral salpingooophorectomy and omentectomy with residual tumor of less then one centimeter. Final pathology assessment showed primitive neuroectodermal tumor arising from the right ovary. She received post- operative chemotherapy. Four months later she had recurrence and was given second line chemotherapy, but she did not respond and died 15 months after the diagnosis due to obstructive uropathy.

The development of an epithelial tumor, especially mucinous type, in a female with a streak gonad is rare and not fully understood. We report a case of a 19-year-old; a single female known to have Turner syndrome presented with an increased abdominal girth and was found to have a huge pelvic and abdominal mass. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a huge cystic ovarian mass with no ascites. Laparotomy and right oophorectomy were performed for the ovarian mass. Histology revealed a large mucinous cyst adenoma. Further study of these tumors may help to eludicate the underlying cause and pathogenesis.

Background: Ovarian teratomas (OTs) may be of mature or immature morphologies. Mature cystic teratomas (MCTs), often referred to as dermoid cysts, are the most common germ cell tumours of the ovary in women of reproductive age. OTs are usually asymptomatic until they reach considerable size. Frequently, ultrasonography is diagnostic. Women requiring surgery for OTs should be appropriately counselled about the risks and benefits of laparoscopic and open approaches., Case Presentations: Case I: An 18-year-old woman presented with hirsutism and irregular menses, both of which reversed after bilateral MCT removal by laparoscopy. Case II: A 47-year-old multigravid woman presented with a large unilateral OT, with a focus of malignancy. Case III: A 19-year-old woman presented with a large unilateral OT associated with gliomatosis peritonei., Conclusion: Experienced laparoscopic surgeons should consider laparoscopy as an alternative to laparotomy in management of OT in selected cases. Women younger than 15 years of age or older than 45 years of age who have large, solid teratomas on ultrasound or positive markers for germ cell tumours are at risk for malignant variants, and for these women laparotomy is the preferred approach.