Volumes of normal ovaries, ovaries with benign lesions, and ovaries with cancer in menopausal women: Is there an optimal cut-off value to predict malignancy?

Purpose: To evaluate different ovarian volume cut-off values to distinguish between normal ovaries, benign lesions, and malignant lesions in menopausal women. Methods: Transvaginal sonographic ovarian volume measurements were performed in 362 menopausal patients prior to gynecologic surgery. Based on the histopathologic results, a total of 466 ovaries were divided into 3 groups: normal ovary, benign lesion, and malignant tumor. Different ovarian volume cut-off values were analyzed via receiver operating characteristic curves to determine the optimal cut-off value. Results: The mean ovarian volumes in the normal ovary, benign lesion, and malignant tumor groups were 3.4 ± 2.2 cm³ (range, 0.6-9.6 cm³), 102 ± 308 cm³ (range, 0.3-3543 cm³), and 368 ± 1176 cm³ (range, 8.1-9908) cm³, respectively. Cut-off values of 8 cm³ and 10 cm³ to distinguish between malignant and nonmalignant lesions had a sensitivity of 100% and 97% and a specificity of 39% and 45%, respectively. Conclusion: In menopausal patients, any ovary with a volume >8 cm³ can potentially harbor a cancer.