Diagnosis-shift between low-grade serous ovarian cancer and serous borderline ovarian tumor: A population-based study

Outcome and prognostic factors of low‑grade serous ovarian cancer: An observational retrospective study

Low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC) is a very rare histological subtype of serous ovarian cancer, representing ~2% of all epithelial ovarian cancer cases. LGSOC has a better prognosis but a lower response rate to chemotherapy in comparison to high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC). The present study is a retrospective review of the medical records of all patients with histologically proven LGSOC diagnosed and treated in a single institute between January 2003 and December 2019. A total of 23 patients diagnosed with LGSOC and treated at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) were identified. The median age at diagnosis was 45.5 years (range, 26-66 years) and the median body mass index was 26.1 (range, 18-43). A total of 21 patients (91.3%) had de novo LGSOC, whereas only 2 patients (8.7%) had LGSOC that had transformed from serous borderline ovarian tumors and recurred. A total of 8 patients (34.8%) were diagnosed with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IV, whereas 3 (13.0%), 3 (13.0%) and 9 (39.1%) were diagnosed with stages I, II and III, respectively. In addition, 10 (43.5%), 5 (21.7%), and 3 (13.0%) patients had complete response, stable disease and partial response statuses after first-line therapy, respectively. At a median follow-up time of 34 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 25.32-42.69], the median progression-free survival (PFS) time was 75.2 months (95% CI, 17.35-133.05) and the median overall survival (OS) time was not reached. In conclusion, LGSOC exhibited better PFS and OS times than HGSOC as compared with data from the literature, and there is the option for systemic treatment (chemotherapy or hormonal therapy). Optimal cytoreduction showed numerically higher, but non-significant, PFS and OS times compared with suboptimal debulking; however, the optimal systemic chemotherapy or hormonal treatment remains controversial.

Do survivors of borderline ovarian tumors have susceptibility to secondary primary malignancies? A SEER population-based study

OBJECTIVE

To describe the risk of women who have survived borderline ovarian tumors (BOT) developing second primary malignancies (SPM).

METHODS

This work employed the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program to conduct a retrospective study of patients diagnosed with BOT. The SEER stat software was used to calculate the standardized incidence ratio (SIR). Cases with pathologic diagnosis and for which information on prognostic factors were available were obtained and analyzed using the Fine and Gray model, with non-SPM death as a competing event.

RESULTS

The risk of developing SPM among BOT survivors was not elevated compared with that expected in the general population (SIR 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.80-0.96) between 1975 and 2017. Of 3661 patients with BOT diagnosed between 1977 and 2000, 477 patients (13.03%) experienced the development of SPM during the median follow up of 19.43 years and the cumulative incidence of SPM over a span of 25 years was 15.52%. Patients with mucinous BOT (P = 0.028), age older than 50 years (P < 0.001), or no lymph node dissection (P = 0.042), had a higher cumulative incidence of SPM in univariate analysis. In the multivariable competing risk analysis, performing lymphadenectomy (subdistribution hazard ratios [sdHR] 0.79, 95% CI 0.64-0.98), age (sdHR 1.03, 95% CI 1.02-1.03) could strongly predict the risk of SPM.

CONCLUSION

In contrast to ovarian cancer, women with BOT were not more prone to develop SPM.

Is There Re-staging Surgery Necessity for Borderline Ovarian Tumors

OBJECTIVE

This study assessed the necessity of surgical re-staging in women with borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) and evaluated the impact of complete surgical staging, lymphadenectomy, and omentectomy on disease recurrence and survival.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with BOTs. A total of 901 patients were eligible for inclusion in the study, and we evaluated some of the variables and clinical/surgical characteristics of the cases. The effects of the type of surgical procedure, surgical staging, and complete or incomplete staging on recurrence were calculated. The rates of disease-free survival, overall survival, and recurrence were compared according to complete surgical staging. A Cox regression analysis was performed to identify potential prognostic factors, and survival curves were constructed using the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS

The overall recurrence rate was 13.9%, and recurrence was comparable between the complete surgical staging group and the incomplete groups (P>0.05). The performance of complete surgical staging did not show an effect on long-term survival, and complete surgical staging, omentectomy, and lymphadenectomy had no effect on recurrence. In multivariate analyses, only radical surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy were risk factors for the recurrence of BOTs. Furthermore, we found that omentectomy led to a relatively low recurrence rate in patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage > I (P=0.022).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that complete surgical staging should be considered a standard treatment for patients with advanced stage BOTs but not for those at FIGO stage I. It might be safe to reduce the scope of surgical procedures in patients with early-stage BOTs. However, it is not necessary to perform re-staging operations for BOTs with a macroscopically normal extra-ovarian appearance.

Bilateral Ovarian Serous Borderline Tumor with Non-Invasive Endometrial Implants

Herein, we are presenting a case of a 33-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department complaining of persistent lower abdominal pain of one-day duration. Physical examination revealed abdominal tenderness with right lower quadrant rebound tenderness. Computed tomography abdomen/pelvis showed a 6 cm possible necrotic mass of the left ovary with moderate amount of complex ascites. A laparoscopic left oophorectomy with bilateral salpingectomy, right ovarian biopsy, and appendectomy were performed without complications. The cut surface of the left ovary showed a 9.7 cm × 8 cm × 4 cm ovarian mass, and the cut surface revealed multiple gray-tan friable papillary excrescence. Microscopic evaluation showed findings consistent with left and right ovarian serous borderline tumor (SBT). Subsequently, a tumor staging was conducted with total laparoscopic hysterectomy, pelvic and periaortic lymph node dissection, and omentectomy. The endometrium sections showed several small foci of SBT within the endometrial stroma, consistent with non-invasive implants of the endometrium. The omentum and lymph nodes were all negative for malignancy. SBTs associated with endometrial implants are very rare with only one case reported in the literature. Their existence can cause diagnostic challenges, and they should be acknowledged for early diagnosis and to plan for patient's treatment and outcome.

The impact of adjuvant antihormonal therapy versus observation on recurrence of borderline ovarian tumors: A retrospective cohort study

Objectives

Adjuvant management of borderline ovarian tumors (BOT) after surgical diagnosis and staging is not standardized. While many patients undergo observation alone, some providers have introduced the use of adjuvant antihormonal therapy for BOT, extrapolating from studies suggesting improvement in progression-free survival in the low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma population. We hypothesized that adjuvant antihormonal therapy after surgical diagnosis of BOT would improve progression-free survival compared to surveillance alone.

Methods

This is a retrospective review of BOT at one academic institution over thirteen years comparing management with antihormonal therapy, including aromatase inhibitors, progestins, and selective estrogen receptor modulators, to surveillance alone. Patients with concurrent malignancy were excluded. Data were abstracted from electronic medical records. Groups were compared by bivariate statistics.

Results

We identified 193 patients with BOT. Of these, 17 (8.8%) were treated with adjuvant antihormonal therapy and 24 (12.4%) recurred. Patients treated with antihormonal therapy were more likely to be obese (64.7% vs 37.9%, p = 0.032), have advanced-stage disease (70.6% vs 11.4%, p < 0.001), serous histotype (94.1% vs 59.4%, p = 0.005) or microinvasion (29.4% vs 9.7%, p = 0.030), and less likely to have undergone fertility-sparing surgery (18.8% vs 51.7%, p = 0.012). Use of antihormonal therapy was not associated with a difference in recurrence or survival.

Conclusions

This study is the first retrospective cohort review of adjuvant antihormonal therapy in BOT. We found that adjuvant antihormonal therapy for BOT is not associated with recurrence. While this single institution retrospective cohort study may lack the power to confirm or refute benefit, further studies could evaluate whether a subpopulation exists in whom antihormonal therapy is worthwhile.

Uptake and Outcomes of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Among US Patients With Less Common Epithelial Ovarian Carcinomas

Importance

Randomized clinical trials examining the effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for advanced ovarian cancer predominantly included patients with high-grade serous carcinomas. The use and outcomes of NACT in less common epithelial carcinomas are understudied.

Objective

To investigate the uptake and survival outcomes in treatment with NACT for less common histologic subtypes of epithelial ovarian cancer.

Design, Setting, and Participants

A retrospective cohort study and systematic literature review with meta-analysis was conducted using the National Cancer Database from 2006 to 2017 and the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program from 2006 to 2019. Data analysis was performed from July 2022 to April 2023. The evaluation included patients with stage III to IV ovarian cancer with clear cell, mucinous, or low-grade serous histologic subtypes who received multimodal treatment with surgery and chemotherapy.

Exposures

Exposure assignment per the sequence of treatment: primary debulking surgery (PDS) followed by chemotherapy (PDS group) or NACT followed by interval surgery (NACT group).

Main Outcomes and Measures

Temporal trends and characteristics of NACT use were assessed using multivariable analysis, and overall survival (OS) was assessed with the inverse probability of treatment weighting propensity score.

Results

A total of 3880 patients were examined in the National Cancer Database including 1829 women (median age, 56 [IQR, 49-63] years) with clear cell, 1156 women (median age, 53 [IQR, 42-64] years) with low-grade serous, and 895 women (median age, 57 [IQR, 48-66] years) with mucinous carcinomas. NACT use increased in patients with clear cell (from 10.2% to 16.2%, 58.8% relative increase; P < .001 for trend) or low-grade serous (from 7.7% to 14.2%, 84.4% relative increase; P = .007 for trend) carcinoma during the study period. This association remained consistent in multivariable analysis. NACT use also increased, but nonsignificantly, in mucinous carcinomas (from 8.6% to 13.9%, 61.6% relative increase; P = .07 for trend). Across the 3 histologic subtypes, older age and stage IV disease were independently associated with NACT use. In a propensity score-weighted model, the NACT and PDS groups had comparable OS for clear cell (4-year rates, 31.4% vs 37.7%; hazard ratio [HR], 1.12; 95% CI, 0.95-1.33) and mucinous (27.0% vs 26.7%; HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.68-1.19) carcinomas. For patients with low-grade serous carcinoma, NACT was associated with decreased OS compared with PDS (4-year rates, 56.4% vs 81.0%; HR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.55-2.90). Increasing NACT use and histologic subtype-specific survival association were also found in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program cohort (n = 1447). A meta-analysis of 4 studies, including the current study, observed similar OS associations for clear cell (HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.96-1.34; 2 studies), mucinous (HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.71-1.21; 2 studies), and low-grade serous (HR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.63-2.74; 3 studies) carcinomas.

Conclusions and Relevance

Despite the lack of data on outcomes of NACT among patients with less common carcinomas, this study noted that NACT use for advanced disease has gradually increased in the US. Primary chemotherapy for advanced-stage, low-grade serous ovarian cancer may be associated with worse survival compared with PDS.

Stage, treatment and survival of low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma in the Netherlands: A nationwide study

INTRODUCTION

Serous ovarian carcinomas constitute the largest group of epithelial ovarian cancer (60%-75%) and are further classified into high- and low-grade serous carcinoma. Low-grade serous carcinoma (LGSC) is a relatively rare subtype (approximately 5% of serous carcinomas) and epidemiologic studies of large cohorts are scarce. With the present study we aimed to report trends in stage, primary treatment and relative survival of LGSC of the ovary in a large cohort of patients in an effort to identify opportunities to improve clinical practice and outcome of this relatively rare disease.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Patients diagnosed with LGSC between 2000 and 2019 were identified from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (n = 855). Trends in FIGO stages and primary treatment were analyzed with the Cochran-Armitage trend test, and differences in and trends of 5-year relative survival were analyzed using multivariable Poisson regression.

RESULTS

Over time, LGSC was increasingly diagnosed as stage III (39.9%-59.0%) and IV disease (5.7%-14.4%) and less often as stage I (34.6%-13.5%; p < 0.001). Primary debulking surgery was the most common strategy (76.2%), although interval debulking surgery was preferred more often over the years (10.6%-31.1%; p < 0.001). Following primary surgery, there was >1 cm residual disease in only 15/252 patients (6%), compared with 17/95 patients (17.9%) after interval surgery. Full cohort 5-year survival was 61% and survival after primary debulking surgery was superior to the outcome following interval debulking surgery (60% vs 34%). Survival following primary debulking surgery without macroscopic residual disease (73%) was better compared with ≤1 cm (47%) and >1 cm residual disease (22%). Survival following interval debulking surgery without macroscopic residual disease (51%) was significantly higher than after >1 cm residual disease (24%). Except FIGO stage II (85%-92%), survival did not change significantly over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Over the years, LGSC has been diagnosed as FIGO stage III and stage IV disease more often and interval debulking surgery has been increasingly preferred over primary debulking in these patients. Relative survival did not change over time (except for stage II) and worse survival outcomes after interval debulking surgery were observed. The results support the common recommendation to perform primary debulking surgery in patients eligible for primary surgery.

Significance of lymph node ratio on survival of women with borderline ovarian tumors

PURPOSE

To assess the qualitative and quantitative measures of the effect of pelvic lymph node involvement on survival of women with borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs).

METHODS

This is a retrospective study examining the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program between 1988 and 2003. Women with stage T1-3 BOTs who had results of pelvic lymph node status at surgery were included. The effect of lymph node involvement on cause-specific survival (CSS) was evaluated using multivariable analysis with the following approaches: (1) any involvement, (2) involvement of multiple nodes (≥ 2 nodes), and (3) lymph node ratio (LNR), defined as the ratio of the number of tumor-containing lymph nodes to the total number of harvested lymph nodes.

RESULTS

A total of 1524 women were examined for analysis. Median count of sampled nodes was 8 (interquartile range 3-15), and there were 81 (5.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.2-6.4) women who had lymph node involvement. Median follow-up was 15.8 (interquartile range 13.8-18.9) years, and 83 (5.4%) women died of BOTs. After controlling for age, histology, stage, and tumor size, only LNR remained an independent prognostic factor for decreased CSS (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] per percentage unit 1.015, 95% CI 1.003-1.026, P = 0.014), whereas any involvement (adjusted HR 1.700, 95% CI 0.843-3.430, P = 0.138) and involvement of multiple nodes (adjusted HR 1.644, 95% CI 0.707-3.823, P = 0.249) did not. On cutoff analysis, LNR ≥ 13% had the largest magnitude of significance on multivariable analysis of CSS (adjusted HR 2.399, 95% CI 1.163-4.947, P = 0.018).

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that high pelvic LNR may be a prognostic factor associated with decreased CSS in women with BOTs.