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Cure spares fertility

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Los Angeles Times

Published: August 11, 2009

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. A study published Monday in the journal Cancer by researchers at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons shows 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 to be completely castrated," said Beth Y. Karlan, director of the Women's Cancer Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Karlan was not involved in the research. "It is safe to do a conservation procedure and still affect cure and allow the woman to appreciate her life goals. We're seeing more women cured of ovarian cancer. With stage 1, cure is a very realistic goal."

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