Management of malignant dysgerminoma of the ovary

Abstract

The evolution of treatment for malignant ovarian germ cell tumors has been one of the most successful in the history of gynecologic oncology, with dysgerminoma as the most common type of malignant ovarian germ cell tumors. Since the introduction of platinum-based chemotherapy in the 1980s, 5-year survival rates for early-stage dysgerminomas have been close to 100%, and as high as 98% for advanced stages. Despite this remarkable achievement, many questions remain in routine treatment. By performing a literature review, we aim to highlight both the current treatment of malignant dysgerminoma and unanswered questions in the modern management of this disease. These issues relate firstly to surgical therapy, such as the role of routine omentectomy and lymphadenectomy, the value of complete surgical resection, and the possibility of fertility-sparing surgery. Second, chemotherapy and the question of the possibility of de-escalation in early stages and the potential of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced stages will be addressed. Finally, a brief overview of the current developments of new drug treatment regimens will be given.