Early Stage Ovarian Low Malignant Potential Tumors (Stage I and II)
Late Stage Ovarian Low Malignant Potential Tumors (Stage III and IV)
Recurrent Ovarian Low Malignant Potential Tumors

A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some stages, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.

Surgery is the standard treatment for early stage ovarian low malignant potential tumor. The type of surgery usually depends on whether a woman plans to have children.

For women who plan to have children, surgery is either:

• unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy; or
• partial oophorectomy.

To prevent recurrence of disease, most doctors recommend surgery to remove the remaining ovarian tissue when a woman no longer plans to have children.

For women who do not plan to have children, treatment may be hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with stage I borderline ovarian surface epithelial-stromal tumor ¹ and stage II borderline ovarian surface epithelial-stromal tumor ². For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site ³.

Treatment for late stage ovarian low malignant potential tumor may be hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and omentectomy. A lymph node dissection may also be performed.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with stage III borderline ovarian surface epithelial-stromal tumor ⁴ and stage IV borderline ovarian surface epithelial-stromal tumor ⁵. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site ³.

Treatment for recurrent ovarian low malignant potential tumor may include the following:

• Surgery.
• Surgery followed by chemotherapy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with recurrent borderline ovarian surface epithelial-stromal tumor ⁶. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site ³.

Glossary Terms

Surgery to remove both ovaries and both fallopian tubes.

Treatment with drugs that kill cancer cells.

A type of research study that tests how well new medical approaches work in people. These studies test new methods of screening, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of a disease. Also called clinical study.

Surgery to remove the uterus and, sometimes, the cervix. When the uterus and the cervix are removed, it is called a total hysterectomy. When only the uterus is removed, it is called a partial hysterectomy.

A surgical procedure in which the lymph nodes are removed and examined to see whether they contain cancer. For a regional lymph node dissection, some of the lymph nodes in the tumor area are removed; for a radical lymph node dissection, most or all of the lymph nodes in the tumor area are removed. Also called lymphadenectomy.

Surgery to remove part or all of the omentum.

Having to do with the ovaries, the female reproductive glands in which the ova (eggs) are formed. The ovaries are located in the pelvis, one on each side of the uterus.

A condition in which cells that may become cancer form in the thin layer of tissue that covers an ovary (female reproductive gland in which eggs are made). In this condition, tumor cells rarely spread outside of the ovary. Also called ovarian borderline malignant tumor.

Surgery to remove part of one ovary or part of both ovaries.

Cancer that has recurred (come back), usually after a period of time during which the cancer could not be detected. The cancer may come back to the same place as the original (primary) tumor or to another place in the body. Also called recurrent cancer.

Cancer that has recurred (come back), usually after a period of time during which the cancer could not be detected. The cancer may come back to the same place as the original (primary) tumor or to another place in the body. Also called recurrence.

The extent of a cancer in the body. Staging is usually based on the size of the tumor, whether lymph nodes contain cancer, and whether the cancer has spread from the original site to other parts of the body.

In medicine, treatment that experts agree is appropriate, accepted, and widely used. Health care providers are obligated to provide patients with standard therapy. Also called best practice and standard of care.

A procedure to remove or repair a part of the body or to find out whether disease is present. An operation.

A group or layer of cells that work together to perform a specific function.

Surgery to remove the entire uterus, including the cervix. Also called complete hysterectomy.

Surgery to remove the ovary and fallopian tube on one side of the body.