Histological discrimination of malignancy in mucinous ovarian tumours

Eight histological features were measured quantitatively in a group of 77 ovarian mucinous carcinomas and in a group of 28 benign mucinous cystomas. These were compared with the duration of survival of the patients and the clinical staging of the tumours. Using the method of discriminant function analysis it was possible to identify a group of tumours of ‘borderline malignancy’. Although single histological features were inadequate indicators of prognosis a combination of three features proved fairly accurate.