Histopathological study of ovarian cystic lesions in Tertiary Care Hospital of Kathmandu, Nepal

Introduction: Ovarian cysts are commonly encountered lesions. They are amongst the most frequent cause of hospitalization and surgery in gynecological practice. One cannot confidently distinguish a benign lesion from a malignant one on the basis of clinical, radiological or gross characteristics along 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. Methods: This is a descriptive study which was carried out at Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital for a period of two years from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2012. A Total of 135 cases of ovarian cysts were received and processed in the Pathology Department. Hematoxylin and Eosin stained slides were examined. Results: Among the 135 ovarian cystic lesions, 119 cases (88.15%) were unilateral and 16 cases (11.85%) were bilateral. There were 59 cases (43.7%) of benign cysts, 69 cases (51.1%) of benign tumors, 5 cases (3.7%) of malignant tumors and 2 cases (1.5%) of borderline epithelial tumors. The age of patients ranged from 13 years to 73 years with mean age of presentation of 43 years. Among the ovarian cystic lesions the incidence of mature cystic teratoma was the highest (30%). The most common non-neoplastic cyst was endometriotic cyst (39%), while the most common benign tumor was mature cystic teratoma (58%). The malignant tumor encountered in the study was serous cystadenocarcinoma. Two cases of borderline epithelial tumors (1.5%) were also observed in the study. Conclusion: The most common cystic lesion that were 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.