Reproductive outcomes following fertility-sparing surgery for malignant ovarian germ cell tumors: A systematic review of the literature

Abstract

ObjectiveInvestigate the reproductive outcomes of patients diagnosed with malignant ovarian germ cell tumors (MOGCTs) following fertility-sparing surgery (FSS). MethodsA systematic review of the Pubmed/Medline, EMBASE and Web-of-Science databases between January 1st 1990 and February 28th 2020 was performed. Full articles reporting on at least 10 patients with MOGCT who underwent FSS and provided data on fertility or pregnancy outcomes were included. ResultsA total of 47 studies that included 2189 patients with MOGCT who underwent FSS were included. Rate of chemotherapy use was 79.9% while cumulative relapse rate was 8.7%. Based on 1110 patient from 27 studies rate of premature ovarian failure was 3.7%. Fecundity rate was 24.6% (n = 1980, from 42 studies), while 80.6% of patients attempting pregnancy had at least one pregnancy (n = 474, from 27 studies). Based on 294 live births, the rate of preterm delivery was 3% while among 261 live infants, only 3 (1.2%) malformations were reported. ConclusionsThe majority of patients with MOGCTs have normal menstrual and reproductive function following FSS. Fecundity and pregnancy outcomes are comparable to the general population.