Struma ovarii: Analysis of a single institution

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinicopathological features and oncologic outcomes in patients with struma ovarii (SO) treated and followed up in our hospital.
METHODS: The presented study included 14 patients diagnosed with SO in a single institution for a period of 25 years.
RESULTS: Histopathological diagnosis revealed benign SO in 13 patients and follicular carcinoma in 1 patient with malignant transformation in final pathology reports. The patient with malignant SO was follicular type and stage Ic2. This patient did not receive adjuvant therapy. The median follow-up time of the study cohort was 31 months and ranged between 3 and 134 months. No recurrence was detected in the patient with malignant SO during 44 months of follow-up.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Surgical intervention is adequate for treatment in patients with benign SO. For patients with malignant transformation, a conservative surgery may be suitable for fertility sparing. Additionally, staging surgery including retroperitoneal lymph node dissection is recommended for determining adjuvant therapy decisions. Due to the absence of well-defined and precise guidelines for treatment, a multidisciplinary approach is suitable for patients with malignant SO. Therapy modalities should be individualized according to intraoperative and postoperative findings in this patient group.