Epidemiologic pathology of ovarian tumors: a histopathologic review of primary ovarian neoplasms diagnosed in the Denver Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area, 1 July-31 December 1969 and 1 July-31 December 1979

We report a population-based histopathologic review of primary ovarian neoplasms. No significant changes in incidence were encountered between the 1969 and 1979 review periods. The most frequent single tumor was benign cystic teratoma (26.5%), while the coelomic-derived "epithelial" tumors constituted the most frequent group (57.6% of all tumors and 93.8% of all malignant tumors). The high frequency of borderline tumors reported by others in nonpopulation-based material is confirmed, and the usual disseminated state of invasive carcinomas at the time of diagnosis is noted. Other data concerning incidence and bilaterality rates, patient ages, multiple primary malignancies, and problems in differential diagnosis and tumor grading are discussed.