GEMINAL INCLUSION CYSTS OF OVARY: THE EPIDEMIOLOGY

Epithelial ovarian neoplasms may arise in germinal inclusion cysts (GICs) which are thought to be stigmata of ovulation. The number of GICs increases with age, and this may be directly related to number of ovulations, but little else is known about the relationship of GICs to clinical variables. Two recent studies have shown conflicting results as to whether the number of GICs is increased in the opposite ovary of women with unilateral epithelial ovarian cancer. The purpose of this patho-epidemiologic study is to identify associations between GICs of the ovary and the clinical variables associated with contraceptive pill use, ovulatory age, diet, and use of talcum powder. Our goal is to determine whether known ovarian risk factors operate by influencing occurrence or persistance of GICs. During a 12 month period, at least 120 women will be identified with grossly normal, incidentally removed ovaries who are eligible for the study. Study ovaries will be sliced every 2 mm, and all sections will be embedded in tissue blocks. This will produce an average of 8 blocks and corresponding slides per ovaries. Slides will be evaluated for number of GICs as well as epithelial type lining them. Eligible subjects will be identified from the pathology accession log of the Division of Ob/Gyn Pathology, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. After obtaining permission from the patient's gynecologist, she will be invited to have a one hour interview regarding the exposures of interest. Multivariate analysis will be performed with the number of GICs as the outcome variable. The results of the proposed study will be informative in themselves, but should also direct future investigations regarding ovarian precursors. This study is at least partly exploratory in scope, and will lead to more refined hypotheses suitable for the future submission of R0-1 applications.