Differential diagnosis, prognostic factors, and clinical treatment of proliferative Brenner tumor of the ovary

Brenner Borderline Ovarian Tumor: A Case Series and Literature Review

BACKGROUND

Most frequent borderline ovarian tumors are serous and mucinous subtypes. Less frequent borderline diseases are endometrioid, clear-cell, and Brenner tumors (BBOT). Very little is known about the latter subtype, and most studies include very short series or case reports. The aim of this study is to determine the prognosis of a continuous series of BBOT and analyze data published in the literature on this rare entity.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective review of patients with BBOT treated or referred to our institutions was conducted. A centralized histological review by a reference pathologist and data on the clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes of patients were required for inclusion.

RESULTS

Overall, 17 patients were identified. Median age was 62 (range 42-85) years. Six patients underwent unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and 11 bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy +/- hysterectomy and/or staging surgery. In total, 16 patients had unilateral tumor, and all patients had stage I disease. Stromal microinvasion was observed in three cases. Median follow-up was 60 months (range 7-118 months). One patient developed a recurrence in contralateral ovary after unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. One patient had previous history of urothelial tumor.

CONCLUSIONS

Peritoneal staging surgery is not required because all patients reported had stage I disease. One recurrence occurred. When reviewing all the 82 cases reported in the literature (including ours), 9% had previous history or synchronous urothelial tumor, suggesting the need to carefully check for urological disease in patients with BBOT.

Molecular and Clinical Insights in Malignant Brenner Tumor of the Testis With Liver Metastases:A Case Report

Malignant Brenner Tumor (mBT) is extremely rare. Although BT are almost exclusive ovarian neoplasms, they may constitute a highly unusual tumor of the testis; in fact, only seven fully documented cases have been reported to date. Because of their rarity, the pathogenesis of these tumors has not been clarified and there is no standard therapeutic approach. We report the first case of epididymal mBT with synchronous, multiple, liver metastases and a very dramatic clinical course. Both primary tumor and metastasis were subjected to mutational analysis of 20 cancer associated genes. Primary tumor showed FGFR3 Tyr375Cys and PIK3CA His1047Arg missense mutations. Both mutations are reported as pathogenic in ClinVar database. The same FGFR3 mutation was present in liver metastasis. Based on these results we believe that the FGFR pathway could be an ideal candidate for personalized treatment, offering hope to a subset of patients with mBT. Personalized approach, including mutational analysis and molecular testing should be required in patients with rare tumors in order to clarify diagnosis and improve therapeutic strategies.

Features of ovarian Brenner tumors: Experience of a single tertiary center

Objective:

Brenner tumors are rare neoplasms of the ovary. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features of Brenner tumors.

Materials and Methods:

The clinical features of 22 patients who were treated in Ankara University Faculty of Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology Department between 2005 and 2015 were evaluated retrospectively from hospital medical records.

Results:

The patients were aged 34 to 79 years at the time of diagnosis and the mean age was 55.1 years. Two (9.1%) patients were pre-menopausal, five (22.7%) were peri-menopausal, and 25 (68.2%) patients were postmenopausal. One patient was pregnant. Twenty of the neoplasms were benign, one was malignant, and one was both malignant and benign. There was no recurrence in the malignant cases. Six (27.2%) patients had mixed tumors consisting of Brenner tumor and another ovarian pathology. Specifically, the other component of these tumors was mucinous cystadenoma in four patients, endometriosis externa in one patient, and high-grade serous papillary cyst adenocarcinoma in one patient.

Conclusion:

Brenner tumors are usually incidental benign pathologic findings of surgical procedures in postmenopausal women. They can be found with other ovarian pathologies such as mucinous ovarian tumors and can coexist with other female genital tumors. Further studies are needed to completely understand the clinical features of Brenner tumors.

Borderline Brenner tumor of the ovary: a case report with immunohistochemical and molecular study

Background

Borderline Brenner tumor of the ovary is a rare entity characterized by papillary structures with a fibro-vascular core, covered by a transitional epithelium, and by the absence of stromal infiltration. It is associated, by definition, with a benign component of Brenner tumor.

Case

We report a case of a 68-year-old woman, with a right ovarian mass, whose morphology and immuno-profile were consistent with the diagnosis of a borderline Brenner tumor. Immunohistochemistry carried out on selected markers may help to formulate the diagnosis, more than the molecular analyses.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13048-014-0101-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Imaging in gynecological disease (7): clinical and ultrasound features of Brenner tumors of the ovary

OBJECTIVES

To describe clinical and ultrasound features of Brenner tumors of the ovary.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, the databases of the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) studies and one tertiary center were searched to identify patients who had undergone an ultrasound scan before surgery for an adnexal mass that proved to be a Brenner tumor. Twenty-eight patients with 29 Brenner tumors were included, most of which had been collected within the framework of the IOTA studies. An experienced ultrasound examiner reviewed available ultrasound images (available for 14 tumors), searching for a pattern specific to Brenner tumors.

RESULTS

Most patients were postmenopausal and asymptomatic. Twenty-four (83%) tumors were benign, two (7%) were borderline and three (10%) were malignant. Most benign tumors (17/24, 71%) contained solid components and manifested no or minimal blood flow on Doppler examination (19/24, 79%). Information about calcifications was available for 15 benign tumors, and in 13 (87%) calcifications were present. The five borderline and invasively malignant tumors contained solid components less often than did the benign ones (3/5, 60%) and were more richly vascularized on Doppler examination. Information about calcifications was available for four borderline or invasively malignant tumors, and in three (75%) calcifications were present.

CONCLUSION

We failed to demonstrate ultrasound features specific to Brenner tumors. A prospective study is needed to determine if ultrasound features of calcifications can discriminate between Brenner tumors and other types of ovarian tumor.

Transitional cell tumor of the ovary: computed tomographic and magnetic resonance imaging features with pathological correlation

OBJECTIVE

To describe computed tomographic (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings of transitional cell tumors, including newly established transitional cell carcinoma, according to tumor type with pathological correlation.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the CT and MR images of 22 patients with transitional cell tumors of ovary (14 benign Brenner, 2 borderline Brenner, 2 malignant Brenner, and 4 transitional cell carcinomas) for the following factors: size, location, configuration, signal intensity, staging, and accompanying ovarian tumors.

RESULTS

Sixteen tumors were detected on CT or MRI (8 benign, 2 borderline, and 6 malignant tumors), and the mean size of measurable tumors was 8.8 cm. Benign Brenner tumors were homogeneous solid (n = 6) or unilocular cystic (n = 2). Two borderline Brenner tumors were multilocular cystic. Malignant tumors, including malignant Brenner tumors and transitional cell carcinomas, were heterogeneous solid (n = 3) or multilocular cystic (n = 3). The signal intensity of solid components on T2-weighted images was isointense compared with that of muscle in benign and borderline Brenner tumors and hyperintense in malignant tumors.

CONCLUSIONS

The CT and MR appearance of transitional cell tumors varied according to tumor type. Benign Brenner tumors were homogeneous solid or unilocular cystic pattern, and malignant tumors were heterogeneous solid or multilocular cystic.

Polypoid Brenner tumor of the uterus

Extraovarian Brenner tumors (BT) are very rare. We report such a tumor that was an intracavitary polyp in the uterus of a 63-year-old woman. The differential diagnosis included a pure transitional cell tumor, a mixed mullerian tumor, and a uterine tumor resembling an ovarian sex cord tumor. The histogenesis of BT remains controversial; in this particular case the location of the BT suggests a mullerian origin.