Histopathological Study of Ovarian Cystic Lesions at a Tertiary Care Hospital in India

Ovarian cysts are commonly encountered lesions. They are amongst the most frequent cause of hospitalization and surgery in gynecologic practice. One cannot confidently distinguish a benign lesion from a malignant one on the basis of clinical, radiological or gross characteristics alone so a histopathology examination is a must as it guides therapy. The study was undertaken to determine the morphologic spectrum of the cystic lesions of the ovary.

This is a descriptive study which was carried out at B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad for a period of two years from 1st January 2015 to 31st December 2017. A Total of 155 cases of ovarian cysts were received and processed in the Pathology Department. Hematoxylin and Eosin stained slides were examined.

Out of 167 ovarian cystic lesions, 141cases (85%) were unilateral and 26cases (15%) were bilateral. There were 72 cases (43.1%) of benign cysts, 82 cases (49.1%) of benign tumors, 8 cases (4.7%) of malignant tumors and 5 cases (2.9%) of borderline epithelial tumors. The age of patients ranged from 12 years to 71 years with mean age of presentation of 43 years. Among the ovarian cystic lesions the incidence of mature cystic teratoma was the highest (26.3%). The most common non-neoplastic cyst was endometriotic cyst (40%), while the most common benign tumor was mature cystic teratoma (46.3%). The malignant tumor encountered in the study was serous cystadenocarcinoma. Two cases of borderline epithelial tumors (2.8%) were also observed in the study.

The most common cystic lesion that was encountered in the study was benign tumor followed by benign cyst. Of the benign tumors, mature cystic teratoma was the most frequently observed lesion. Among the non-neoplastic cysts, endometriotic cyst was the most frequently observed lesion.