Persisting cyclic ovarian activity in cervical cancer after surgical transposition of the ovaries and pelvic irradiation

Abstract

The effect of surgical transposition of the ovaries on gonadal function was investigated in 10 young women with carcinoma of the uterine cervix, stages I and II. Gonadotropin, estradiol and progesterone levels were determined before and during pelvic irradiation. A control group consisted of 7 patients with cervical cancer who did not undergo ovarian transposition. In the control group gonadotropins began to rise after radiation doses of 560-2400 rad (FSH) [follicle stimulating hormone] and 1130-2600 rad (LH) [luteinizing hormone], respectively. The excessive secretion was not seen in patients who had ovarian lifting. Ovulatory cycles occurred during or after pelvic irradiation in 7 women of the study group, spontaneously or induced by clomiphene treatment. This indicates that transposition preceding radiotherapy is an effective means of preserving ovarian secretion in young women in whom malignancies of the pelvic region demand irradiation.