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Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) during pregnancy is a rare condition. The diagnosis and treatment strategies are therefore not well defined. The evidence is scarce and limited to small case reports or case series. In this review we describe the safety, utility and limitations of each diagnostic tool and surgical procedure in pregnant women with ovarian cancer. We also discuss the role of chemotherapy for ovarian cancer during pregnancy. Finally, we delineate different strategies of treatment according to the stage of the disease at diagnosis and gestational age. Due to the complexity of the management of EOC during pregnancy, patients should be referred to specialized centers. Gestational age at diagnosis, the initial surgical procedure, disease stage and patient's preferences are the key factors in the decision-making process to establish the best treatment strategy for each individual case.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of the angiographic indexes of 3D power Doppler angiography (3D-PDA) for the diagnosis of malignancy in complex ovarian masses. Methods: A prospective, observational study of 72 patients with complex adnexal mass. Results: In the morphological study, 3D ultrasound showed sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, PLHR and NLHR of 84.6%, 81.9%, 85.1%, 81.8%, 4.65 and 0.19. No differences in vascular indexes (VI, FI, VFI) between malignant and benign masses were found: VI 5.38 (CI 95% 3.06-7.7) vs. 6.29 (CI 95% 4.41-8.17) (p = 0.53); FI 29.6 (CI 95% 25.17-34.08) vs. 33.8 (CI 95% 30.03-37.3) (p = 0.15); VFI 1.68 (CI 95% 0.94-2.42) vs. 2.37 (CI 95% 1.49-3.25) (p = 0.24). When analysed according to different stages, VI was higher in patients with more advanced stages of disease; 4.34 (95% CI 2.21-6.47) vs. 7.38 (95% CI 4.7-10.06) (p = 0.11). FI was significantly lower in patients with early stages of disease; FI 29.07 (95% CI 21.49-36.68) vs. 36.46 (95% CI 32.31-40.62) (p = 0.04). For VFI, differences were not significant, although there was a strong trend; VFI 1.47 (95% CI 0.67-2.28) vs. 2.86 (95% CI 1.57-4.16) (p = 0.11). 3D-PDA indexes were significantly higher in patients with positive adenopathies. Conclusion: 3D-PDA values increase progressively, but not significantly, with the stage of the disease.

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