Objective
To examine the trends in use and safety of ovarian conservation in young women with early-stage endometrial cancer undergoing hysterectomy.
Methods
We conducted a population-based analysis. The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was used to identify women <50 years of age with stage I endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the endometrium who underwent hysterectomy from 1998–2012. Patients were stratified based on whether they underwent oophorectomy or had ovarian conservation. Multivariable models were used to examine predictors of ovarian conservation and the association between ovarian conservation and survival.
Results
The cohort of 15,648 women included 1121 (7.2%) who had ovarian conservation and 14,527 (92.8%) who underwent oophorectomy. The rate of ovarian conservation was relatively stable from 6.9% (95% CI, 4.9–9.7%) in 1998 to 7.1% (95% CI, 5.8–8.7%) in 2012 (P=0.91). Ovarian conservation was more commonly performed in younger women, black women, those with low grade and earlier stage tumors, and in women treated at community hospitals. In a multivariable model, ovarian conservation was not independently associated with survival (HR=0.94; 95% CI, 0.65–1.37). Similarly, in a Kaplan-Meier analysis, there was no association between ovarian conservation and survival (P=0.19).
Conclusion
Ovarian conservation does not adversely affect survival for women with early stage endometrial cancer. Despite the oncologic safety of ovarian conservation, the majority of young women with endometrial cancer still undergo oophorectomy at the time surgery.