Good article.
Borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) were first described as a separate group in 1929 by Taylor [1] , but only in 1973, they were accepted by the International Federation of gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) as carcinomas of low malignant potential [2] and from 1973 by the World Health Organization (WHO) as ‘borderline ovarian tumors’ [3] , the term we use today. They represent between 10 and 20% of all epithelial ovarian malignancies [4] , and from a histological point of view, are essentially characterized by mild nuclear abnormalities and modestly increased mitotic activity with the absence of stromal invasion. Most BOTs are comparable to benign cysts with 5-year survival rates of almost 100% in early stage disease [5] . Nevertheless, up to 25% of BOTs may develop a clinical aggressive behavior and 3–15% of them recur as invasive carcinomas [6] , resulting in poor prognosis. Much effort has been made by the scientific community to delineate the clinical and histological characteristics of the subgroup of BOTs which develop a more aggressive pattern of spread. Several risk factors have been recognized but there is no broad consensus for all of them. The event of recurrence constantly implies for the patient a new surgical intervention and in up to 15% of cases the risk of progression to invasive carcinoma.
Domenica Lorusso Martina Ratti Antonino Ditto Francesco Raspagliesi
Gynecology Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS National Cancer Institute, Milan , Italy
jozi-ovari 
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