Abstract:

Background: Ovaries are reproductive organs in which ova and female sex hormones are produced. Occurring in all age groups, ovarian masses are one of the major health problems confronting the general practitioners in general and gynecologists in particular. The typical mean ovarian volume is roughly 1 cm3 in girls up to 5 years old; the ovaries at least double in size by the age of 12 years. At puberty, ovaries increase in size to approximately 4 m3 with growth paralleling uterine maturation. The natural history of sample ovarian cysts is not fully understood, the proper management of incidental simple cysts in women has been uncertain. At early stage of ovarian cancer produces few specific symptoms and hence most women present with advanced disease where the prognosis is usually poor.

Main objective: To determine the social demographic and histological pattern of ovarian masses in patients operated at Bugando Medical Centre, Mwanza, Tanzania.

Methodology: This will be a retrospective hospital based study that will involve a minimum of 90 extracted data from files and histological report of women operated due to an ovarian mass over a period starting January 2015 to December 2020.

Results: The mean age was 45.51 and standard deviation was 13.8 of secondary education level 55(40.4) house wife 55(40.4) Christian 1113(83.1) and married 88(64.7%). From the study, it was found that the most intra operative finding was cystic 95(69.9%) and the least finding was consistency 1(0.7%). The most reasons for admission was abdominal pain 74(54.5) and the least one was other specific 1(0.7%) The most histological findings was physiological cystic 62(45.6%) and the least was malignant 26(19.1%).

Conclusion: The most histological findings was physiological cystic, from the study benign surface epithelial tumors comprised the most reasons for admission with the complaint of abdominal pain. Surface epithelial tumours constituted the majority of tumors of malignant type, specifically serous cystadenocarcinoma followed by mucinous cystadenocarcinoma, clear cell carcinoma, and dysgerminoma and germ cell tumour. Most patients were of lower class, unmarried, and multiparous.