Impact of gonadotrophins and steroid hormones on tumour cells derived from borderline ovarian tumours

BACKGROUND: Conservative surgery is currently proposed for young patients with borderline ovarian tumours (BOT). For those experiencing infertility, the question of medically assisted procreation is raised. We have evaluated in vitro the proliferation of cultured BOT cells in response to FSH or estradiol (E-2). METHODS: Primary cell cultures were prepared from BOT. The presence of FSH and E-2 receptors was evaluated by immunochemistry. Cultures in vitro were stimulated with FSH (40 and 200 mUI/ml) or E-2 (300 and 2000 pg/ml) for 96 h and proliferation was evaluated with the WST-1 test. RESULTS: Four primary cultures were obtained that expressed FSH and E-2 receptors to different extents. Growth was generally similar to controls when treated with either FSH or E-2 although 300 pg/ml E-2 caused a significant inhibitory effect on cell proliferation (P = 0.035). CONCLUSION: No stimulatory effect of FSH or E-2 on cultured BOT cells was found, despite the presence of receptors. Although preliminary, these results suggest that gonadotrophins and E-2 could be used in patients experiencing infertility after conservative surgery.