Efficacy and safety of an Aron Alpha method in managing giant ovarian tumors

• Published in: Gynecologic oncology reports 2023-04, Vol.46, p.101167-101167, Article 101167
• Main Authors: Kakinuma, Toshiyuki, Kakinuma, Kaoru, Shinohara, Takumi, Shimizu, Ayano, Okamoto, Rora, Kaneko, Ayaka, Takeshima, Nobuhiro, Yanagida, Kaoru, Ohwada, Michitaka
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aron Alpha method; Giant ovarian tumor; Laparoscopy; Malignant ovarian tumor; Mini-laparotomy; Minimally invasive surgery; Research Report
• ISSN: 2352-5789; 2352-5789
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gore.2023.101167

•Pathological misdiagnosis of giant ovarian masses as malignant tumors can occur.•Intraoperative rupture of a malignant tumor increases the risk of up-stage disease.•Intraoperative rupture of the tumor capsule increases the risk of recurrence.•The Aron Alpha method is a useful procedure for the removal of giant ovarian tumors. Giant malignant tumors have an increased risk of intraoperative rupture, which might lead to a worse disease condition and tumor recurrence. We performed a clinical study on patients with a giant ovarian mass who underwent laparoscopy combined with an Aron Alpha method. This retrospective clinical study spanned from January 2016 to September 2022 and included 23 patients with giant ovarian tumors treated with an Aron Alpha method. The mean age of the subjects was 47.6 ± 17.8 years, mean tumor diameter 20.4 ± 5.8 cm, mean surgical duration 87.2 ± 33.1 min, and mean hemorrhage volume 94.1 ± 92.2 mL. No patient experienced intraoperative tumor rupture or surgery-related symptoms. Histopathology of excised samples revealed serous cyst adenoma and mucinous cystadenoma, mucinous cystadenoma of borderline malignancy and mature cystic teratoma, and endometriotic cyst adenoma in 6, 4, and 3 patients, respectively. The mean hospitalization period was 6.0 ± 1.2 days, and the hospitalization period was not extended in any subject. The Aron Alpha method allows tumor resection without capsular rupture and is a useful, minimally invasive surgical method for resecting giant ovarian tumors in which malignancy cannot be ruled out.