[Ovarian carcinomas. Retrospective study of 318 cases].

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the diagnosis of cancer of the ovary over time and histological type as a function of outcome. METHODS: Primary neoplasms of the ovary diagnosed at the Pathology Institute of Strasbourg between 1975 and 1984 were reassessed to determine the outcome as recorded in the Bas-Rhin Cancer Register. RESULTS: Among the 845 primary neoplasms diagnosed, 318 were carcinomas. More than half of the cases (n = 162) were serous carcinomas followed by mucinous carcinoma (n = 60), endometrioid carcinoma (n = 53), clear-cell carcinoma (n = 13), and poorly differentiated carcinoma (n = 30). Diagnosis was consistent with time and independent of the pathologist. The patients were divided into three groups on the basis of survival. Longest survival was observed in patients with mucinous and endometrioid carcinoma, intermediary survival in those with serous and clear-cell carcinoma, and shortest survival in those with poorly differentiated carcinoma. CONCLUSION: The histological type of ovary carcinoma, independent of the stage of invasion, is a reliable predictive factor.