Malignant Brenner tumor of the ovary: clinical, pathological and demographic analyses of 10 cases

Background: Brenner tumor is a rare ovarian tumor and mostly benign. Malignant Brenner tumor (MBT) is much rarer. Methods: The retrospective study was used to analyze the patients of MBT who were treated in our hospital from January 1979 to December 2011. The clinical, pathological and demographic characteristics of the patients were analyzed. Results: The median age of patients was 49.50 ± 11.30 years (ranging from 32 to 76 years). The initial symptom in the majority of patients was abdominal distension or abdominal pain (6/10, 60%). The mean size of the ovarian tumors was 16.43 ± 6.83 cm (ranging from 6.0 to 25.0 cm). Six patients (60%) were in Stage I, two patients (20%) were in Stage IIIC and two patients (20%) were in Stage IV. The cancer antigen-125 (CA125) levels decreased in patients receiving effective chemotherapy. The mean time of follow-up was 42.40 ± 31.81 months (ranging from 5 to 94 months). Five patients with either primary advanced tumor or recurrent tumor, developed distant metastasis: four patients had hepatic metastases, and one patient had cerebral and pulmonary metastases. Of the above five cases, four patients died of tumor and one patient died of cerebral hemorrhage. The rest five patients survived. Conclusion: The most significant factor affecting the prognosis of MBT is staging. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment is the most effective method for prognosis improvement. Surgery remains to be the primary treatment for MBT and chemotherapy provides certain therapeutic effects as well. CA125 is a useful tumor marker for prognosis prediction and treatment efficacy monitoring.