Primary and metastatic mucinous adenocarcinomas in the ovaries: incidence in routine practice with a new approach to improve intraoperative diagnosis

Clinicopathological and Oncological Outcomes of Borderline Mucinous Tumours of Ovary: a Large Case Series

The objective is to study the clinico-demographic profile, treatment patterns and oncological outcomes in borderline mucinous tumours of the ovary. Retrospective cohort analysis was carried out between January 2017 and December 2019 for patients with a diagnosis of borderline mucinous tumours of the ovary who were treated at our centre. Kaplan-Meier method was used for the estimation of the probability of DFS and OS. Univariate and multivariate analyses based on the Cox proportional hazard model were performed to identify factors associated with DFS and OS. A p-value ≤ 0.05 in a two-tailed test was considered statistically significant. The study population included 75 patients and the median follow-up time for the entire cohort was 24 months. The 5-year DFS for the entire cohort was 79.6% and OS was 90.5%, whereas for stage I disease, 5-year OS was 92.6% as opposed to 60% in the advanced stage. On univariate analysis, only the stage of the disease had a significant association with DFS and OS. Fertility-preserving surgeries had no impact on OS or DFS, and hence, it is suggested that fertility-sparing surgeries may be considered a viable option in young patients with mucinous ovarian tumours. Borderline mucinous tumours of the ovary have excellent survival outcomes and fertility-sparing surgeries should be done whenever feasible.

Is routine gastrointestinal endoscopy required in every woman with mucinous ovarian cancer? An analysis of survival rates and metastatic tumours in a cancer centre

INTRODUCTION

Mucinous ovarian cancer (MOC) represents a rare entity of ovarian malignant neoplasms. The true incidence could be as low as 3% of all ovarian cancers. The aim of this study is to compare and understand the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with mucinous ovarian cancer, report on the survival rates and evaluate the role of gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy as part of the peri-operative investigations and the impact it has on the survival rates.

METHODOLOGY

This is a retrospective data collection on patients with MOC operated in Nottingham gynaecological oncology centre over a 10-year period. Data were analysed using SPSS software.

RESULTS

43 cases were included in the final analysis. The median maximal tumour diameter was 180 mm. 32 (74.5 %) and 11 (25.5 %) women presented with unilateral and bilateral tumours respectively. 30 patients (69.7 %) presented with stage 1 disease, 1 (2.3 %) presented with stage 2 disease, 7 women (16.4 %) had stage 3 disease and 1 woman (11.6 %) had stage 4 disease. 41 women had staging surgical procedures and 2 women had limited surgery due to poor performance status. After final histology, 5 cases found to have metastatic disease to the ovary rather than primary MOC. 14 women had GI endoscopy as part of their investigation. The total estimated cost of the endoscopies that have been performed is £5635. Primary GI cancer was diagnosed in 1 case during the endoscopy (1 case of gastric cancer). The 5-year overall survival of the women included in this study is 62.8 %. The 5-year overall survival of the women in the endoscopy and non-endoscopy groups was 60 % and 64.3 % respectively (p-value: 0.767).

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study show that the survival rates of patients treated for mucinous ovarian cancer in our centre are similar to other published studies. Our findings do not support the routine use of GI endoscopy in the peri-operative investigations of every patient with MOC due to the non-statistically significant difference in the overall survival.

Mucinous ovarian carcinoma: A survey of practice in Australia and New Zealand

BACKGROUND

Mucinous ovarian carcinoma (MOC) is a rare ovarian cancer with limited evidence to support clinical care.

AIMS

We undertook a clinician survey to better understand current practice in treating MOC in Australia and New Zealand, and to determine any features associated with variation in care. In addition, we aimed to understand future research priorities.

METHODS

A RedCap survey was distributed to clinician members of the Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG). Questions included respondent demographics, three case studies and future research priorities. Clinicians were asked questions specific to their speciality.

RESULTS

Respondents (n = 47) were commonly experienced gynae-oncology specialists, most often surgical (38%) or medical (30%) oncologists. There was good consensus for surgical approaches for stage I disease; however, variation in practice was noted for advanced or recurrent MOC. Variation was also observed for medical oncologists; in early-stage disease there was no clear consensus on whether to offer chemotherapy, or which regimen to recommend. For advanced and recurrent disease a wide range of chemotherapy options was considered, with a trend away from an ovarian-type toward gastrointestinal (GI)-type regimens in advanced MOC. This practice was reflected in future research priorities, with 'Is a GI chemotherapy regimen better than an ovarian regimen?' the most highly ranked option, followed by 'Should stage 1C patients receive chemotherapy?'

CONCLUSIONS

Although the number of respondents limited the analyses, it was clear that chemotherapy selection was a key point of divergence for medical oncologists. Future research is needed to establish well-evidenced guidelines for clinical care of MOC.

Safety of fertility-sparing surgery in young women with stage I endometrioid epithelial and mucinous ovarian cancer: A population-based analysis

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to assess the safety of fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) in stage I endometrioid epithelial cancer (EEOC) and mucinous ovarian cancer (MOC).

METHODS

A retrospective case‒controlled study was conducted using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, focusing on stage I EEOC and MOC between 2000 and 2016. The effects of FSS on overall survival (OS) were compared using log-rank tests. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were performed to control for confounders.

RESULTS

The study identified 970 patients with FIGO stage I EEOC and 810 with stage I MOC. Of these patients, 116 (12.0%) EEOC and 268 (33.1%) MOC patients underwent fertility-sparing surgery. The results showed that patients with G3 EEOC had a worse 5-year OS than patients with G1 EEOC (96.1% vs. 90.1%, p = 0.020). IC stage MOC patients had a worse prognosis than IA and IB stage patients (94.9% vs. 88.7%, p = 0.001). FSS did not significantly affect the 5-year OS of patients with EEOC (94.8% vs. 95.4%, p = 0.687) or MOC (95.9% vs. 92.3%, p = 0.071). Further subgroup analysis according to tumor stage and histological grade did not show a worse OS with FSS in stage I EEOC or MOC patients, even with high-risk types such as G3 histology and IC phase. In a multivariable analysis, the application of FSS was not associated with inferior OS in EEOC or MOC.

CONCLUSIONS

FSS for patients with stage I EEOC or MOC does not lead to worse outcomes than radical surgery, making it a viable option for young patients with early-stage disease wishing to preserve fertility.

Current and Emerging Strategies for Tubo-Ovarian Cancer Diagnostics

Tubo-ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynaecological cancer. More than 75% of patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, which is associated with poorer overall survival. Symptoms at presentation are vague and non-specific, contributing to late diagnosis. Multimodal risk models have improved the diagnostic accuracy of adnexal mass assessment based on patient risk factors, coupled with findings on imaging and serum-based biomarker tests. Newly developed ultrasonographic assessment algorithms have standardised documentation and enable stratification of care between local hospitals and cancer centres. So far, no screening test has proven to reduce ovarian cancer mortality in the general population. This review is an update on the evidence behind ovarian cancer diagnostic strategies.

Diagnostic roles of PAX8 immunohistochemistry in ovarian tumors

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to elucidate the diagnostic roles of PAX8 immunohistochemistry in various ovarian tumors.

METHODS

We searched through the PubMed database and selected the eligible studies to perform the meta-analysis. The PAX8 immunohistochemical expression rates of various ovarian tumors, including primary and metastatic carcinomas, were analyzed. In addition, the subgroup analysis based on tumor behaviors was performed.

RESULTS

The PAX8 expression rates were 0.056 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.008-0.307), 0.400 (95% CI 0.228-0.600), 0.741 (95% CI 0.578-0.857), and 0.738 (95% CI 0.666-0.799) in normal ovary and benign, borderline, and malignant ovarian tumors, respectively. The PAX8 expression rates of serous and transitional cell carcinomas were 0.937 (95% CI 0.882-0.967) and 0.918 (95% CI 0.841-0.959). In addition, the PAX8 expression rate of mucinous carcinomas was 0.393 (95% CI 0.285-0.512). However, metastatic carcinomas showed a significantly lower PAX8 expression rate than primary ovarian cancers (P < 0.001 in the meta-regression test). In cytologic specimens, PAX8 expression rates of serous and endometrioid carcinomas were 0.905 (95% CI 0.832-0.948) and 0.714 (95% CI 0.327-0.928), respectively.

CONCLUSION

PAX8 expression rate was significantly higher in serous ovarian tumors than in mucinous ovarian tumors. In addition, PAX8 expression rates were significantly higher in primary ovarian cancers than in metastatic carcinomas.

Clinical implications of histologic subtypes on survival outcomes in primary mucinous ovarian carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

In 2014, the World Health Organization introduced a new histologic classification by dividing primary mucinous ovarian carcinoma (PMOC) into two: expansile (ES) or infiltrative subtypes (IS). This study investigated the clinical implications of these histological subtypes on survival outcomes.

METHODS

Data from 131 patients with PMOC who underwent primary surgery between 2003 and 2021 were analyzed. The patients baseline characteristics, surgical and pathological information were collected. Survival outcomes were calculated, while factors affecting them were also investigated.

RESULTS

During 55.9 months of median follow-up, 27 (20.6%) patients experienced recurrence and 20 (15.3%) died. Among 131 patients, 113 patients were classified into 87 (77%) ES and 26 (23%) IS after a slide review. Advanced stage, lymph node involvement, and residual tumors after surgery were more common in the IS, showing poorer prognosis. In multivariate analyses, advanced stage and residual tumors after surgery were associated with worse survival, while the IS showed no statistical significance. In subgroup analysis for stage I disease, survival did not vary between subtypes. Nevertheless, patients in the IS group who underwent fertility-sparing surgeries demonstrated a 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate of 83.3%, significantly lower than patients without fertility preservation, irrespective of histologic subtypes (5-year PFS rate: 97.9%; P = 0.002 for the ES, 5-year PFS rate: 100%; P = 0.001 for the IS).

CONCLUSIONS

The IS of PMOC had poorer survival outcomes and a higher proportion of advanced-stage tumors. Although its independent prognostic significance remains uncertain, adjuvant chemotherapy should be considered for patients with fertility preservation in the IS group.

Role of scrape cytology smear preparation in the diagnosis of ovarian masses-utility and pitfalls

BACKGROUND

Scrape cytology technique is useful for rapid intraoperative diagnosis of ovarian mass lesions that acts as an adjunct to frozen section examination. Though ovaries can be accessed by laparoscopy and USG guided FNAC, there are controversial reports regarding the safety of these procedures. The present study has been designed to evaluate the role of scrape cytology in a variety of ovarian mass lesions.

OBJECTIVES

To study the cyto-morphology of ovarian mass lesions and to evaluate the role of scrape cytology technique in correctly diagnosing the ovarian lesions taking histopathological diagnosis as gold standard.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This is a prospective observational study done on 61 ovarian mass lesions as received from the Obstetrics and Gynecology department of our Institution.

RESULT

Out of 61 cases, 58 (95.08%) cases were correctly diagnosed with respect to categorization and typing. The age ranged from 14 to 65 years with the mean age being 38.1 years. On histopathology, out of 61 cases, 39 (63.93%) were epithelial along with sub categorization of benign, borderline, and malignant, 13 (22.9%) were germ cell tumors, 5(8.19%) were sex cord stromal tumors, 3 (4.91%) were hemorrhagic cysts and the remaining 1 (1.63%) was massive ovarian edema. Thus, on comparing with histopathology, the sensitivity and specificity of scrape cytology technique were 93.55% and 96.67%, and the diagnostic accuracy was 95.08%.

CONCLUSION

Scrape cytology of ovarian lesions can give quick and reliable results. Also, proper training of cytopathologists chiefly regarding the sampling technique, gross presentation of ovarian lesions and interpretation of scrape cytology smears is needed. Further studies to provide standard guidelines and reporting criteria will prove to be helpful.

Extreme Leukocytosis and Gangrenous Cholecystitis Associated with Cytoreductive Surgery and HIPEC-Treated Mucinos Ovary Cancer: Case Report and Literature Review

Mucinous ovarian cancer occurs sporadically, with a frequency of approximately 3-5% among all subtypes of ovarian cancer. Extreme leukocytosis >40,000 and 50,000 has been described in most solid tumors and is associated with a poor prognosis, although there is a lack of literal data of its occurrence after cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC in the treatment of advanced mucinous ovarian cancer. There is higher risk of the occurrence of cholecystitis in oncology patients compared to the general population, although there is no formal evidence for this, and the association with ovarian cancer is accompanied by a relative risk of 1.38. Hypercalcemia-hyperleukocytosis is a syndrome associated with head and neck cancers, although, to our knowledge, it has not been described in mucinous ovarian cancer, especially after cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC.

A Clinical and Immunopathological Analysis of Carcinoma of the Ovary with an Emphasis on Post-chemotherapy Histopathologic Changes

Ovarian cancers are a heterogeneous group of malignant tumors that differ with respect to pathogenesis, morphology, molecular features, and behavior. Pathologists and clinicians need to be aware of the advances in diagnosis and the changes which occur after chemotherapy to offer the optimal treatment to each patient. The present work aims to study the morphologic and immunohistochemical (IHC) profile of primary ovarian cancers with an assessment of post-chemotherapy changes. A total of 51 cases were included in the study from June 2017 to June 2019 (prospective and retrospective). The demographic and clinical details of the patients were collected. The gross and microscopic features of the tumors were studied, and the post-chemotherapy changes were evaluated. A chi-square test was used to determine the association of tumor morphology, the chemotherapy response score (CRS), and stage of the tumor with survival (PFS and OS). The mean patient age was 47.5 years, and high-grade serous carcinoma (66.6%) (HGSC) was the most common subtype followed by mucinous carcinoma and endometrioid carcinoma. Immunohistochemical analysis with WT1 and p53 helped in the diagnosis of HGSC. The CRS was 1 and 2 in most of the cases. The follow-up for patients of HGSC was available for a period of 1-27 months with a mean survival for primary resection of 24 months and for post-NACT resection was 17 months. This difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.38). High-grade serous carcinoma was the most common ovarian cancer in our series, and immunohistochemistry played an important role in the diagnosis. We could not demonstrate any survival benefit of preoperative chemotherapy in our series.

Rare Epithelial Ovarian Cancers: Low Grade Serous and Mucinous Carcinomas

The ovarian epithelial cancer histotypes can be divided into common and rare types. Common types include high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas and the endometriosis-associated cancers, endometrioid and clear-cell carcinomas. The less common histotypes are mucinous and low-grade serous, each comprising less than 10% of all epithelial carcinomas. Although histologically and epidemiologically distinct from each other, these histotypes share some genetic and natural history features that distinguish them from the more common types. In this review, we will consider the similarities and differences of these rare histological types, and the clinical challenges they pose.

Mucins and mucinous ovarian carcinoma: Development, differential diagnosis, and treatment

Mucinous ovarian carcinoma (MOC) is a rare histological type of epithelial ovarian cancer. It has poor response to conventional platinum-based chemotherapy regimens and PARPi-based maintenance treatment, resulting in short survival and poor prognosis in advanced-disease patients. MOC is characterized by mucus that is mainly composed of mucin in the cystic cavity. Our review discusses in detail the role of mucins in MOC. Mucins are correlated with MOC development. Furthermore, they are valuable in the differential diagnosis of primary and secondary ovarian mucinous tumors. Some types of mucins have been studied in the context of chemoresistance and targeted therapy for ovarian cancer. This review may provide a new direction for the diagnosis and treatment of advanced MOC.

Estrogen promotes Epithelial ovarian cancer cells proliferation via down-regulating expression and activating phosphorylation of PTEN

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most common of cancer death among malignant tumors in women, its occurrence and development are strongly linked to estrogen. Having identified the phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) is a potent tumor suppressor regulating cell proliferation, migration, and survival. Meanwhile, there is a correlation between PTEN protein expression and estrogen receptor expression in EOC. However, no study has amplified on the molecular regulatory mechanism and function between estrogen and PTEN in the development of EOC. In this research, we found that PTEN shows a low expression level in EOC tissues and estrogen decreased PTEN expression via the estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) in EOC cells. Knockdown of PTEN enhanced the proliferation and migration level of EOC cells driven by estrogen. Moreover, PTEN was also phosphorylated by G protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30)-Protein kinase C (PKC) signaling pathway upon estrogen stimulation. Inhibiting the phosphorylation of PTEN weakened the proliferation and migration of estrogen induced-EOC cells estrogen and decreased the phosphorylation of Protein kinase B (AKT) and Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). These results indicated that estrogen decreased PTEN expression level via the ESR1 genomic pathway and phosphorylated PTEN via the GPR30-PKC non-genomic pathway to activate the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, thereby determining the fate of EOC cells.

Safety of fertility sparing management in invasive mucinous ovarian carcinoma

BACKGROUND

The aim of the study was to evaluate the safety of fertility-sparing surgery in invasive mucinous ovarian carcinomas (MOC).

METHODS

Retrospective review was performed of MOCs diagnosed between 1999 and 2019 at two tertiary cancer centers. Pathology was reviewed to rule out metastasis from gastrointestinal tract. The demographics and survival outcomes were compared between women who underwent fertility-sparing surgery and those who underwent radical surgery (at least hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy +/- staging). Cox proportional hazard models were constructed to evaluate the effect of fertility sparing surgery on survival.

RESULTS

Of 134 with stage I disease, 42 (31%) underwent fertility-sparing surgery with unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Compared to women who underwent radical surgery, these women were younger with low grade, early-stage disease. Two patients (5%) in the fertility-sparing cohort experienced a recurrence and 1 of these 2 patients died due to disease progression. There was no difference in either OS or RFS between those that underwent fertility-sparing surgery and radical surgery. In a multivariable analysis adjusting for age and use of adjuvant chemotherapy, fertility-sparing surgery was not significantly associated with OS (HR 0.18; 95% CI 0.01-2.78) or RFS (HR 0.19; 95% CI 0.03-1.45). There were 4 patients (9%) with documented full-term delivery with median interval to conception of 11 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Fertility-sparing surgery in stage I MOC is not associated with worse outcomes compared to radical surgery and is reasonable to offer to those with early stage disease who wish to retain fertility.

L1-CAM in Mucinous Ovarian Carcinomas and Borderline Tumors: Impact on Tumor Recurrence and Potential Role in Tumor Progression

Mucinous ovarian carcinoma (MOC) is a rare histotype of primary ovarian carcinoma. Frequent pathogenic molecular alterations include mutations in KRAS , TP53 , and overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, but without having prognostic relevance. As L1-CAM (cell adhesion molecule) has previously shown prognostic relevance in other epithelial tumors of the female genital tract, we analyzed whether L1-CAM expression affected MOC prognosis. In addition, we investigated L1-CAM expression in mucinous borderline tumors (MBOTs) with and without adjacent MOC to identify its potential role in the pathogenesis of MOC. We examined a well-characterized collective of 39 MOCs by immunohistochemistry and compared their expression with clinicopathologic data. L1-CAM positivity was defined as any (even single-cell) positivity. Furthermore, we compared the L1-CAM expression in 20 MBOT regions adjacent to a MOC with that of 15 pure MBOTs. L1-CAM expression in MOC was significantly associated with recurrence, independent of tumor stage. Overall, 7/20 positive cases recurred versus 0/19 L1-CAM-negative cases ( P =0.032), showing a significant difference in time to progression. Furthermore, the presence of at least 1 defined molecular alteration (L1-CAM, aberrant p53, or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) was found more frequently in the MBOT regions adjacent to a MOC (14/20) than in pure MBOTs (3/15) ( P =0.024). Expression of the tumor marker L1-CAM is frequent (51%) in MOC and is associated with tumor recurrence. The lack of L1-CAM may serve to characterize cases with a low risk of recurrence. Furthermore, the presence of specific molecular alterations in MBOTs is associated with adjacent carcinomas and may define potential pathways in tumor progression.

Factors that contribute to the recurrence of mucinous ovarian cancer: Monocenter retrospective evaluation

Purpose

In this study, we aimed to put forth the factors that contribute to the recurrence of mucinous ovarian cancer.

Materials and Methods

Forty-four mucinous ovarian cancer patients who have presented to our clinic between February 2006 and May 2018 took part in the study. In order to predict the factors that contribute to recurrence, the univariate and the multivariate logistic regressions were utilized. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was utilized for survival and the log-rank test was used for the discrepancies between the groups. In the analysis of the data, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 22 program was used. It was acknowledged to have statistical meaning when the P value in all the tests was lower than 0.05.

Findings

Recurrence was detected in 20 out of 44 patients who participated in the study. The ages of the patients who did not experience recurrence were significantly lower ( P = 0.001). The patients were detected mostly in Stage 1 (36.4%). In the group of patients without recurrence, systemic lymphadenectomy (43.2%) was greater ( P = 0.019). Lymph node metastasis was three times higher in the group that experienced recurrence ( P = 0.047). When the two groups were compared, the platinum resistance was considerably greater in the group with recurrence ( P = 0.005). In terms of residual tumor, the rate of complete resection was (9%) better in the group that experienced recurrence compared to the group that did not experience recurrence, with a rate of 45.5%. While 12 patients who experienced recurrence died, 6 people died in the other group. From the factors that contribute to recurrence, in terms of residual tumor quantity, this was grouped as complete (R0) resection and optimal + suboptimal (R1 + R2) resection and the following were determined: odds ratio (OR) - 5.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.56-20.9) and P = 0.008 for R1 + R2. In univariate analysis, the OR was determined as 1.16 (95% CI: 1.06-1.27) for age. Possessing a Stage 2 and higher disease statistically contributed considerably to the recurrence compared to Stage 1 disease (OR: 6.33; 95% CI: 1.59-25.22; P = 0.009). Age was determined as an independent prognostic risk factor in the multivariate analysis (OR: 1.10 [95% CI: 1.04-1.25]), P = 0.018. Furthermore, the OR for the advanced-stage (Stage 2 or higher) patients in the multivariate analysis was determined as 7.88 (95% CI: 0.78-78.8) and was found to be statistically significant at limits ( P = 0.079).

Results

We have put forth that the genetic, biological, and clinical characteristics of mucinous ovarian cancers differ from that of other epithelial ovarian cancers, and that age, advanced stage, and residual tumor quantity are prognostic risk factors in terms of recurrence, and that age is an independent prognostic risk factor.

Conclusion

Biological and clinical characteristics of mucinous ovarian cancers differ from those of other epithelial ovarian cancers, and we observed that the age, advanced stage, and the amount of residual tumor regarding recurrence are prognostic risk factors, while age was determined as an independent prognostic risk factor.

Primary intestinal type mucinous adenocarcinoma of the ovary diagnosed during pregnancy – Maternal and neonatal treatment and outcomes: A case report

The incidence of ovarian cancer during pregnancy is low. Most adnexal tumors removed during pregnancy are benign, with ovarian carcinomas found in approximately 1: 10,000–1: 50,000 pregnancies. Literature on this disease is scarce and consists mostly of retrospective studies and case reports. We report the case of a pregnant patient who presented with a primary intestinal-type mucinous adenocarcinoma of the ovary and underwent unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, with no additional surgical or chemotherapy treatment after the histological diagnosis, despite an infiltrative stromal invasion pattern. To the best of our knowledge, no such case has been previously reported. Conservative treatment in this case of early ovarian carcinoma is possible during pregnancy and should be performed in the Department of Gynecological Oncology and Obstetrics of a tertiary referral hospital. Given the possibility of disease recurrence, such patients require strict clinical oncological surveillance, specialized prenatal care, and assistance from a multidisciplinary team to improve the maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Characterization of Primary Mucinous Ovarian Cancer by Diffusion-Weighted and Dynamic Contrast Enhancement MRI in Comparison with Serous Ovarian Cancer

(1) Background. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a quantitative analysis of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI of mucinous ovarian cancer (MOC). It also aims to differentiate between low grade serous carcinoma (LGSC), high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) and MOC in primary tumors. (2) Materials and Methods. Sixty-six patients with histologically confirmed primary epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) were included in the study. Patients were divided into three groups: MOC, LGSC and HGSC. In the preoperative DWI and DCE MRI, selected parameters were measured: apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC), time to peak (TTP), and perfusion maximum enhancement (Perf. Max. En.). ROI comprised a small circle placed in the solid part of the primary tumor. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to test whether the variable had a normal distribution. The Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA test was used to determine the p-value needed to compare the median values of interval variables. (3) Results. The highest median ADC values were found in MOC, followed by LGSC, and the lowest in HGSC. All differences were statistically significant (p < 0.000001). This was also confirmed by the ROC curve analysis for MOC and HGSC, showing that ADC had excellent diagnostic accuracy in differentiating between MOC and HGSC (p < 0.001). In the type I EOCs, i.e., MOC and LGSC, ADC has less differential value (p = 0.032), and TTP can be considered the most valuable parameter for diagnostic accuracy (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions. DWI and DCE appear to be very good diagnostic tools in differentiating between serous carcinomas (LGSC, HGSC) and MOC. Significant differences in median ADC values between MOC and LGSC compared with those between MOC and HGSC indicate the usefulness of DWI in differentiating between less and more aggressive types of EOC, not only among the most common serous carcinomas. ROC curve analysis showed that ADC had excellent diagnostic accuracy in differentiating between MOC and HGSC. In contrast, TTP showed the greatest value for differentiating between LGSC and MOC.

Update on Prognostic and Predictive Markers in Mucinous Ovarian Cancer

This review includes state-of-the-art prognostic and predictive factors of mucinous ovarian cancer (MOC), a rare tumor. Clinical, pathological, and molecular features and treatment options according to prognosis are comprehensively discussed. Different clinical implications of MOC are described according to the The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage: early MOC (stage I-II) and advanced MOC (stage III-IV). Early MOC is characterized by a good prognosis. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment. Fertility-sparing surgery could be performed in patients who wish to become pregnant and that present low recurrence risk of disease. Adjuvant chemotherapy is not recommended, except in patients with high-risk clinical and pathological features. Regarding the histological features, an infiltrative growth pattern is the major prognostic factor of MOC. Furthermore, novel molecular biomarkers are emerging for tailored management of early-stage MOC. In contrast, advanced MOC is characterized by poor survival. Radical surgery is the cornerstone of treatment and adjuvant chemotherapy is recommended, although the efficacy is limited by the intrinsic chemoresistance of these tumors. Several molecular hallmarks of advanced MOC have been described in recent years (e.g., HER2 amplification, distinct methylation profiles, peculiar immunological microenvironment), but target therapy for these rare tumors is not available yet.

Gene-Expression Profiling of Mucinous Ovarian Tumors and Comparison with Upper and Lower Gastrointestinal Tumors Identifies Markers Associated with Adverse Outcomes

PURPOSE

Advanced-stage mucinous ovarian carcinoma (MOC) has poor chemotherapy response and prognosis and lacks biomarkers to aid stage I adjuvant treatment. Differentiating primary MOC from gastrointestinal (GI) metastases to the ovary is also challenging due to phenotypic similarities. Clinicopathologic and gene-expression data were analyzed to identify prognostic and diagnostic features.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Discovery analyses selected 19 genes with prognostic/diagnostic potential. Validation was performed through the Ovarian Tumor Tissue Analysis consortium and GI cancer biobanks comprising 604 patients with MOC (n = 333), mucinous borderline ovarian tumors (MBOT, n = 151), and upper GI (n = 65) and lower GI tumors (n = 55).

RESULTS

Infiltrative pattern of invasion was associated with decreased overall survival (OS) within 2 years from diagnosis, compared with expansile pattern in stage I MOC [hazard ratio (HR), 2.77; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04-7.41, P = 0.042]. Increased expression of THBS2 and TAGLN was associated with shorter OS in MOC patients (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.04-1.51, P = 0.016) and (HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.01-1.45, P = 0.043), respectively. ERBB2 (HER2) amplification or high mRNA expression was evident in 64 of 243 (26%) of MOCs, but only 8 of 243 (3%) were also infiltrative (4/39, 10%) or stage III/IV (4/31, 13%).

CONCLUSIONS

An infiltrative growth pattern infers poor prognosis within 2 years from diagnosis and may help select stage I patients for adjuvant therapy. High expression of THBS2 and TAGLN in MOC confers an adverse prognosis and is upregulated in the infiltrative subtype, which warrants further investigation. Anti-HER2 therapy should be investigated in a subset of patients. MOC samples clustered with upper GI, yet markers to differentiate these entities remain elusive, suggesting similar underlying biology and shared treatment strategies.

The effect of chemotherapy in patients with stage I mucinous ovarian cancer undergoing fertility-sparing surgery

Objective

To determine the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage I mucinous ovarian cancer (MOC) undergoing fertility-preserving surgery.

Patients and methods

The clinicopathological characteristics and survival information of young women with stage I MOC from SEER databases between 2004 and 2019 were collected. The relationship between chemotherapy and the characteristics was examined by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Univariable and multivariate Cox proportional hazards survival analysis were employed for cancer-specific survival. Cox analysis was performed to build a nomogram model.

Results

All 901 eligible patients with stage I MOC were screened from the SEER database. There were 321(35.6%) patients aged 9-30 years, 580(64.4%) aged 31-45 years, 645 (71.6%) patients with stage IA/IB, 256 (28.4%) with stage IC disease, 411(45.6%) who underwent fertility-sparing surgery, and276(30.6%) who received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that postoperative chemotherapy was often used in patients aged 31-45 relative to aged 9-30 (HR: 2.215, 95%CI 1.443-3.401, P &lt; 0.001) or with grade 3 compared to grade 1 tumors (HR: 7.382, 95%CI 4.054-13.443, P &lt; 0.001) or with stage IC compared to stage IA/IB (HR: 6.436, 95%CI 4.515-9.175, P &lt; 0.001) or with non-fertility sparing surgery relative to fertility-sparing (HR:2.226, 95%CI 1.490-3.327, P &lt; 0.001). Multivariate analysis for the special population with fertility preservation indicated that patients with chemotherapy (HR: 2.905, 95% CI: 0.938-6.030, P=0.068) or with grade 3 (HR: 4.750, 95% CI: 1.419-15.896, P=0.011) had a greater risk of mortality. Significant CSS differences were observed between the non-chemotherapy and chemotherapy groups in MOC when patients were stage IA/IB-grade 2 (P=0.004) (10-year CSS rates of chemotherapy=84%, non-chemotherapy = 100%), but not when they were stage IA/IB-grade 1, stage IA/IB-grade 3 or stage IC (both P&gt;0.05). A prognostic prediction nomogram model was built for stage I MOC patient who underwent fertility-sparing and the C-index was 0.709.

Discussion

The patients aged 31-45 years, with grade 3, stage IC, and non-fertility-sparing surgery were more likely to receive adjuvant chemotherapy in the real world. For stage I MOC patient who underwent fertility-sparing surgery, the choice of chemotherapy may increase the risk of death, and it should be carefully selected in clinical practice.

Aberrant MAPK Signaling Offers Therapeutic Potential for Treatment of Ovarian Carcinoma

Ovarian cancer remains the most lethal gynecological malignancy worldwide due to lack of effective screening, vague early symptoms, poor description of biomarkers, and absence of effective treatment regimes. Epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) is categorized into five distinct disease subtypes which collectively account for ~90% of ovarian carcinomas. Most women present at advanced stages contributing to a poor overall 5-year survival rate. Standard treatment for EOC is cytoreductive surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy; however, most patients suffer from recurrence and platinum-resistant disease, which highlights an urgent need for targeted therapy. The high frequency of molecular alterations affecting gain-of-function signaling through the RAS mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in EOC has prompted pre-clinical and clinical efforts toward research into the effectiveness of MAPK pathway inhibition as a second-line treatment. The RAS/MAPK pathway is a highly conserved signal transduction cascade, often disrupted in cancer, that regulates tumorigenic phenotypes including cellular proliferation, survival, migration, apoptosis, and differentiation. Herein, the role of the MAPK pathway in EOC with emphasis on targetability of the pathway is described. Pre-clinical and clinical efforts to target MAPK signaling in EOC have identified several MAPK pathway inhibitors that offer efficacious potential for monotherapy and in combination with other compounds. Thus, inhibition of the RAS/MAPK pathway is emerging as a tractable strategy for treatment of ovarian cancer that may permit development of personalized therapy and improved prognosis for women challenged by this disease.

Primary mucinous ovarian cancer: options for surgery and chemotherapy

Primary mucinous ovarian cancer is a rare type of epithelial ovarian cancer. In this comprehensive review we discuss management recommendations for the treatment of mucinous ovarian cancer. Although most tumors are stage I at diagnosis, 15-20% are advanced stage at diagnosis. Traditionally, patients with primary mucinous ovarian cancer have been treated similarly to those with the more common serous ovarian cancer. However, recent studies have shown that mucinous ovarian cancer is very different from other types of epithelial ovarian cancer. Primary mucinous ovarian cancer is less likely to spread to lymph nodes or the upper abdomen and more likely to affect younger women, who may desire fertility-sparing therapies. Surgical management of mucinous ovarian cancer mirrors surgical management of other types of epithelial ovarian cancer and includes a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and total hysterectomy. When staging is indicated, it should include pelvic washing, omentectomy, and peritoneal biopsies; lymph node evaluation should be considered in patients with infiltrative tumors. The appendix should be routinely evaluated intra-operatively, but an appendectomy may be omitted if the appendix appears grossly normal. Fertility preservation can be considered in patients with gross disease confined to one ovary and a normal-appearing contralateral ovary. Patients with recurrent platinum-sensitive disease whose disease distribution suggests a high likelihood of complete gross resection may be candidates for secondary debulking. Primary mucinous ovarian cancer seems to be resistant to standard platinum-and-taxane regimens used frequently for other types of ovarian cancer. Gastrointestinal cancer regimens are another option; these include 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin, or capecitabine and oxaliplatin. Data on heated intra-peritoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for mucinous ovarian cancer are scarce, but HIPEC may be worth considering. For patients with recurrence or progression on first-line chemotherapy, we advocate enrollment in a clinical trial if one is available. For this reason, it may be beneficial to perform molecular testing in all patients with recurrent or progressive mucinous ovarian cancer.

Surgical staging of apparent early-stage ovarian mucinous carcinoma

Objectives

The aim of the study was to explore the rate of upstaging after complete surgical staging among patients with apparent FIGO stage I ovarian mucinous carcinoma.

Methods

Ovarian mucinous carcinoma patients with surgical treatment at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital between October 2020 and January 1994 were retrospectively reviewed.

Results

In total, 163 patients were included in this study. Surgical restaging was performed in 89 patients after initial incomplete surgical staging, and one-step complete surgical staging was performed in 74 patients. Among these initially incompletely staged patients, residual tumors were found in 16 patients (16/89, 17.9%). Among the 19 patients with apparent FIGO stage IA, no patient was found to have residual tumors after incomplete staging surgery, according to the final pathology result of restaging surgery. Ovarian cystectomy (OR=4.932, 95% CI= 1.347–18.058, P=0.016) was an independent risk factor for residual tumors after incomplete staging surgery. Among all 163 patients, upstaging occurred in 15 patients (15/163, 9.2%). Among 44 apparent FIGO stage IA patients, no patient was upstaged to FIGO II–IVB. Moreover, both a history of ovarian mucinous tumor (OR=4.745, 95% CI= 1.132–19.886, P=0.033) and bilateral ovary involvement (OR=9.739, 95% CI= 2.016–47.056, P=0.005) were independent risk factors for upstaging to FIGO stage II–IVB.

Conclusions

For patients with apparent FIGO stage IA disease, the possibility of residual tumors and upstaging is relatively low. For patients with cystectomy, bilateral mucinous carcinomas, or a history of ovarian mucinous tumors, complete staging surgery maintains greater significance.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12957-022-02758-0.

Management of borderline ovarian tumors: A tertiary referral center experience in Egypt

Background

In this retrospective study, we discuss our experience as a large tertiary referral center in Egypt in the management and follow-up of borderline tumors

Patients and methods

This is a retrospective cohort study where all patients diagnosed with a borderline ovarian tumor at Oncology Center Mansoura University from November 2014 to June 2020 were included. Demographics, preoperative, operative, postoperative, pathologic, and oncologic follow-up data were retrieved from a prospectively maintained electronic database. The included patients were followed until April 2022.

Results

We included 27 patients with borderline ovarian tumors. The mean age of the study patients was 47.67 ± 16.39 years. The median CA 125 was 33 (6–304 U/ml). Frozen section examination was utilized in 13 patients (48.14%), where a diagnosis of borderline ovarian tumors was revealed in 8 patients. Recurrence was reported in one patient with serous type after approximately 26 months. The most common pathological type in our cohort was the mucinous borderline type reported in 14 patients (51.9%), followed by the serous type reported in 11 patients (40.7%), and the seromucinous type in 1 patient only. Patients with mucinous borderline type were significantly younger (40.083 ± 18.47 vs. 53.73 ± 11.91 years, p = 0.028). Interestingly, Cancer Antigen 125 levels were significantly higher in mucinous than serous and seromucinous types [67(16–304) vs. 20(6–294.6) U/ml, p = 0.027]. On the other hand, the radiological tumor size of serous and seromucinous types was larger than that of the mucinous type [23(19–31) cm vs. 8(5–20) cm, p = 0.001]. Over a median follow-up period of 58.66 (54.16–63.16) months, only one postoperative mortality was reported, while only one recurrence was reported.

Conclusion

Borderline ovarian tumors still represent a dilemma either in diagnosis or management. A frozen section examination could help to reach a preliminary diagnosis. Total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy are the cornerstone of surgical management; however, fertility-sparing surgery could be a valid option for women desiring fertility.

Evaluation of Outcomes of Mucinous Ovarian Cancer Treated at a Tertiary Care Cancer Hospital in Pakistan

Syed Abdul Mannan HamdaniObjective  To evaluate the clinicopathological features and survival outcomes of mucinous ovarian cancer (MOC) patients in an Asian population. Study Design  Descriptive observational study. Place and Duration of Study  Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, from January 2001 to December 2016. Methods  Data of MOC were evaluated for demographics, tumor stage, clinical characteristics, tumor markers, treatment modalities, and outcomes from electronic Hospital Information System. Results  Nine-hundred patients with primary ovarian cancer were reviewed, out of which 94 patients (10.4%) had MOC. The median age was 36 ± 12.4 years. The most common presentation was abdominal distension 51 (54.3%), while the rest presented with abdominal pain and irregular menstruation. Using FIGO (The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) staging, 72 (76.6%) had stage I, 3 (3.2%) stage II, stage III in 12 (12.8%), and 7 (7.4%) had stage IV disease. The majority of patients 75 (79.8%) had early-stage (stage I/II), while 19 (20.2%) presented with advanced-stage (III & IV). The median follow-up duration was 52 months (range 1-199 months). Among patients with early-stage (I&II), 3- and 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 95%, while for advanced stage (III&IV), PFS was 16% and 8%, respectively. The overall survival (OS) in early-stage I&II was 97%, while for advanced stages III & IV, the OS was 26%. Conclusion  MOC is a challenging and rare subtype of ovarian cancer requiring special attention and recognition. Most patients treated at our center presented with early stages and had excellent outcomes, while advanced-stage disease had dismal results.

Bilateral ovarian mucinous carcinoma (stage III) with omental involvement and incidental hydronephrosis: A rare case report

INTRODUCTION

Though ovarian malignancies are common, mucinous ovarian carcinomas of high grade are rare. They usually occur in a young female under 40 years of age. Here, we present a case of mucinous ovarian carcinoma (stage III), with omental involvement and incidental hydronephrosis in a 67-year-old female patient.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 67-year-old female patient presented to us with a history of lower abdominal pain for 2 months and per-vaginal discharge for the last 6 days. On deep palpation of the abdomen, a nodular mass occupying the suprapubic region was found. Bimanual palpation revealed a mass on the right and left adnexa. After visualization of septate cystic mass bilaterally on CECT, she was planned for staging laparotomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) with infra-colic omentectomy with peritoneal cytology. Incidentally, a horseshoe-shaped kidney with right mild hydronephrosis was found. After surgery and histopathologic examination, mucinous ovarian carcinoma (stage III), with omental involvement was confirmed.

DISCUSSION

Mucinous ovarian carcinomas are rare malignancies, with different natural history, molecular profile, and prognosis as compared to other epithelial tumors of the ovary. These carcinomas can be either primary or secondary (those metastasized to the ovary from elsewhere), and this differentiation is essential. The therapeutic approach to the patients depends upon the stage at which these carcinomas are diagnosed.

CONCLUSION

Mucinous ovarian carcinomas are rare and have unique features among the epithelial ovarian carcinomas. Appreciation of these features will surely make a positive impact in improving the management and thus the prognosis of these carcinomas.

Appendiceal tumors in patients undergoing primary surgery for mucinous ovarian tumors in a tertiary hospital, in Southern Thailand

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the prevalence of appendiceal tumors in patients diagnosed with mucinous ovarian tumors and to determine factors associated with coexisting appendiceal tumors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Retrospective review of all patients who were diagnosed with mucinous ovarian tumors and underwent an appendectomy during surgery between January 2002 and June 2017 was performed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify risk factors for coexisting appendiceal tumors.

RESULTS

A total of 303 patients with mucinous ovarian tumors who underwent appendectomy were identified, including 77 (25.4%) mucinous cystadenoma and 226 (74.6%) mucinous borderline tumor or carcinoma. Twenty-one (6.9%) had coexisting appendiceal tumors including 8 that were primary appendiceal mucinous adenocarcinomas, 6 low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasms, 6 secondary appendiceal metastasis from the ovary, and one hyperplastic polyp. None of mucinous cystadenoma had coexisting appendiceal tumors. Multivariate analysis revealed advanced age ≥50 years, previous rupture of ovarian tumors, abdominal extension of tumors, and grossly abnormal appendix were independent factors for coexisting appendiceal tumors.

CONCLUSION

Prevalence of coexisting appendiceal tumors in mucinous ovarian tumors was not uncommon. The risk factors were grossly abnormal appendix, abdominal extension of tumor, previous rupture of ovarian tumors, and advanced age.

Progression of Cystadenoma to Mucinous Borderline Ovarian Tumor in Young Females: Case Series and Literature Review

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To study the progression of benign ovarian lesions to mucinous borderline ovarian tumors (mBOTs); analyze the clinicopathologic features, diagnosis, and management of mBOTs in pediatric and adolescent girls; and provide a review of the literature on mBOTs in this population.

DESIGN

Retrospective chart review of female adolescents younger than 18 years diagnosed with mBOTs between July 2017 and February 2021.

SETTING

Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut; and Yale New Haven Health Bridgeport Hospital, Bridgeport, Connecticut.

PARTICIPANTS

Three female patients diagnosed with mBOTs between ages 12 and 17 years.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Clinical presentation, preoperative characteristics, surgical technique, histology, tumor stage, treatment, progression, outcome, and rate of recurrence.

RESULTS

Three adolescent patients were identified to have mBOTs. All three patients presented with a chief complaint of abdominal pain. One of the 3 patients was premenarchal at presentation. Two of the 3 patients were initially diagnosed with a mucinous cystadenoma and had recurrences of an ovarian cyst in the same ovary within 5 and 17 months, respectively. Pathology of the recurrent cyst was consistent with mBOT. Two of the 3 patients initially underwent cystectomy, and all ultimately had a unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Subsequent surveillance over 2 to 4 years found no evidence of disease recurrence.

CONCLUSION

mBOTs are rare in the pediatric and adolescent population and could arise from benign ovarian tumors.

The cytokeratin 17 expression in primary ovarian tumors has diagnostic but not prognostic significance

We assessed the value of cytokeratin 17 (CK17) expression for the differential diagnosis between primary ovarian mucinous tumors and metastases from the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and the significance of CK17 expression in a broad spectrum of primary ovarian tumors with respect to their prognosis. The sample set consisted of 554 primary ovarian tumors and 255 GIT tumors. In the primary ovarian tumors, a higher CK17 expression (in > 10% of tumors cells) was present only in 0-11.4% of all tumors (including mucinous tumors, micropapillary serous borderline tumors, clear cell, endometrioid, and high-grade serous carcinomas). The only exception was low-grade serous carcinoma, where higher CK17 expression was present in 24% of cases. Concerning GIT tumors, the higher levels of CK 17 expression (in > 10% of tumor cells) were observed in the upper GIT tumors (68.5% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, 61.6% of gallbladder adenocarcinoma, and 46% of gastric adenocarcinoma), which differs substantially not only from most of the primary ovarian tumors, but also from colorectal carcinoma (3.7%; p < 0.001). The results of our study suggest that expression of CK17 can potentially be used as an adjunct marker in differential diagnosis between primary ovarian mucinous tumors and metastases from the upper GIT, but not from colorectal carcinoma. However, in GIT tumors, CK17 can be used in the differential diagnosis between adenocarcinomas of the upper and lower GIT. Statistical analysis did not reveal strong association of CK17 expression with clinicopathological variables or patient outcomes in any primary ovarian tumors.

Prognosis in primary mucinous ovarian carcinoma: focusing on the five pathological findings indicating metastatic mucinous carcinoma to the ovary

Objective

Pathological features indicating metastatic mucinous carcinoma to the ovary (MMCO) have been rarely reported in primary mucinous ovarian carcinoma (PMOC). However, little is known about how often they are observed in PMOC and how they relate to patient prognosis. In this study, we investigated the pathological features indicating MMCO in a large cohort of PMOCs and analyzed their association with patient prognosis.

Methods

We reviewed surgically treated PMOC patients diagnosed at the Seoul National University Hospital from 1995 to 2019, according to the updated WHO classification, and investigated the presence of pathological features indicating MMCO.

Results

A total of 144 patients with PMOCs were included. The 5 pathological findings indicating MMCO, including an infiltrative invasive pattern, the absence of benign or borderline components, a smaller tumor size, the presence of signet ring cells and the presence of extracellular mucin were observed in PMOC (21.6%, 43.1%, 20.8%, 4.3% and 12.9%, respectively), and were significantly correlated with poor overall and progression-free survival rates in PMOC. The patient’s prognosis worsened as the extent of the infiltrative invasive pattern increased (p<0.001). In addition, the prognostic power was stronger when the 5 pathological factors were analyzed together (new grouping system) than when analyzed individually (p<0.001) and the new grouping system was identified as an independent prognostic factor regardless of FIGO stage.

Conclusion

Five pathological findings indicating MMCO in PMOC were significantly associated with poor prognosis in PMOC patients. Also, the new grouping system combining these findings was identified as an independent prognostic factor.

Pathologic features indicating metastatic mucinous carcinoma to the ovary (MMCO) have been rarely reported in primary mucinous ovarian carcinomas (PMOCs). We found the 5 pathological findings indicating MMCO in PMOC were significantly associated with poor prognosis in PMOC patients.

Novel Therapeutic Strategies for Refractory Ovarian Cancers: Clear Cell and Mucinous Carcinomas

Ovarian cancer has the worst prognosis among gynecological cancers. In particular, clear cell and mucinous carcinomas are less sensitive to chemotherapy. The establishment of new therapies is necessary to improve the treatment outcomes for these carcinomas. In previous clinical studies, chemotherapy with cytotoxic anticancer drugs has failed to demonstrate better treatment outcomes than paclitaxel + carboplatin therapy. In recent years, attention has been focused on treatment with molecular target drugs and immune checkpoint inhibitors that target newly identified biomarkers. The issues that need to be addressed include the most appropriate combination of therapies, identifying patients who may benefit from each therapy, and how results should be incorporated into the standard of care for ovarian clear cell and mucinous carcinomas. In this article, we have reviewed the most promising therapies for ovarian clear cell and mucinous carcinomas, which are regarded as intractable, with an emphasis on therapies currently being investigated in clinical studies.

Does the "Devil" originate from the fallopian tubes?

Epithelial ovarian cancer (OC) is a heterogeneous disease and continues to be mostly diagnosed in advanced stages. The high lethality, the high rate of platinum-resistance, and the poor survival outcomes are the principal factors for categorizing OC among the most aggressive gynecological cancers. Only recently, a substantial progress has been made in our latest understanding of the origins of OC, particularly of high-grade serous histology. For a long time, the accumulation of genetic alterations in epithelial single layer cells of ovarian cysts caused by cyclic ovulations was considered as the most important driver and the long-standing dogma of ovarian tumorigenesis. Besides, the unique biological features and high histological heterogeneity of OC did not support this hypothesis. Indeed, various extra-ovarian cells of origin and multiple sites to each histotype were proposed, supported by cogent evidence from clinical cohorts and animal studies. In light of this enigma, this review was conducted to discuss the recent evidence supporting the revised origins of ovarian carcinoma histotypes with a particular focus on high-grade serous OC which may impact diagnostic and preventive approaches.

Gynaecological or gastrointestinal origin? Recognising Müllerian neoplasms with gastrointestinal phenotype and determining the primary site in selected entities

Recognising metastatic gastrointestinal and pancreatobiliary tumours to gynaecological sites may be challenging, as primary Müllerian tumours can demonstrate similar histological features. Endocervical adenocarcinomas can be of gastric and intestinal types, endometrial lesions may show gastrointestinal phenotype, and finally, mucinous tumours with secondary involvement of the ovaries may mimic primary neoplasms. The aim of this review is to address selected neoplastic entities of the gynaecological tract with gastric and intestinal differentiation and provide helpful clinical and pathological parameters for the diagnosis. A brief overview of metastatic tumours originating from the gastrointestinal and pancreaticobiliary tracts is also provided, including the most common pathological features.

Clinicopathological Determinants of Recurrence Risk and Survival in Mucinous Ovarian Carcinoma

Mucinous ovarian carcinoma (MOC) is a unique form of ovarian cancer. MOC typically presents at early stage but demonstrates intrinsic chemoresistance; treatment of advanced-stage and relapsed disease is therefore challenging. We harness a large retrospective MOC cohort to identify factors associated with recurrence risk and survival. A total of 151 MOC patients were included. The 5 year disease-specific survival (DSS) was 84.5%. Risk of subsequent recurrence after a disease-free period of 2 and 5 years was low (8.3% and 5.6% over the next 10 years). The majority of cases were FIGO stage I (35.6% IA, 43.0% IC). Multivariable analysis identified stage and pathological grade as independently associated with DSS (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001). Grade 1 stage I patients represented the majority of cases (53.0%) and demonstrated exceptional survival (10 year DSS 95.3%); survival was comparable between grade I stage IA and stage IC patients, and between grade I stage IC patients who did and did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy. At 5 years following diagnosis, the proportion of grade 1, 2 and 3 patients remaining disease free was 89.5%, 74.9% and 41.7%; the corresponding proportions for FIGO stage I, II and III/IV patients were 91.1%, 76.7% and 19.8%. Median post-relapse survival was 5.0 months. Most MOC patients present with low-grade early-stage disease and are at low risk of recurrence. New treatment options are urgently needed to improve survival following relapse, which is associated with extremely poor prognosis.

PET/CT Variants and Pitfalls in Gynecological Cancers

The role of hybrid imaging with 2-[18F] flourodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) is continuously evolving and now considered standard practice in evaluation of disease stage, treatment response, recurrent disease and follow-up for numerous primary malignancies. In gynecological malignancies FDG PET/CT plays an important role, not only in the assessment of disease in the pre-and post-therapy setting, but also in radiation therapy (RT) planning by defining the metabolically active gross tumor volume (GTV. The glucose analogue radiotracer, FDG, is by far the most utilized radiotracer in PET/CT and is typically seen with high uptake in malignant cells. The radiotracer FDG has a high sensitivity but low specificity for malignancy, as benign processes with an inflammatory response for example infection, are also FDG-avid. In the evaluation of the female pelvic region an awareness of potential confounding factors in the interpretation of FDG is essential as variations of FDG uptake occur in accordance with the menstrual cycle and the menopausal state. Incidental imaging findings in the female genital can pose differential diagnostic challenges as false-positive and false-negative findings in benign and malignant processes are not uncommon. Gynecological malignancies continue to pose major public health problems with cervical cancer as the fourth most common cancer in women ranking after breast cancer, colorectal cancer and lung cancer. Familiarity with frequently encountered benign and malignant variants and pitfalls in FDG PET/CT in the female pelvic region can aid the reader in differential diagnostic considerations.

Current update on malignant epithelial ovarian tumors

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) represents the most frequently occurring gynecological malignancy, accounting for more than 70% of ovarian cancer deaths. Preoperative imaging plays an important role in assessing the extent of disease and guides the next step in surgical decision-making and operative planning. In this article, we will review the multimodality imaging features of various subtypes of EOC. We will also discuss the role of imaging in the staging, management, and surveillance of EOC.

Ovarian mucinous and seromucinous neoplasms: problematic aspects and modern diagnostic approach

The morphological spectrum of primary ovarian mucinous and seromucinous tumours is broad and presents an array of diagnostic challenges, many unique to these tumour types. This reflects the heterogeneous nature of these lesions, their varied histogenesis and evolving classification systems over recent decades, with further modification to the seromucinous category incorporated in the recently published 5^th edition of the WHO Classification of Female Genital Tumours. In this review we provide an update on the classification of these neoplasms and discuss their histogenesis and diverse morphology, focusing on areas which are diagnostically problematic. We also cover tumour grading, differential diagnosis, immunohistochemistry, the recent elucidation of the molecular underpinnings of ovarian mucinous neoplasia and discuss the gross and intraoperative handling of these tumours. A number of diagnostic issues remain unresolved highlighting the importance of further research on this front, as well as a multidisciplinary approach in the care of patients with ovarian mucinous and seromucinous neoplasia.

Is cell block technique useful to predict histological type in patients with ovarian mass and/or body cavity fluids?

The cell block (CB) technique is a generalized method utilized for the diagnostic evaluation of body cavity fluids. Ascites cytology is one of the most important diagnostic processes for epithelial ovarian cancer. However, in clinical practice, the usefulness of the CB method to diagnose this tumor remains unelucidated. Between 2008 and 2017, 15 peritoneal or pleural fluid samples obtained from patients with ovarian or peritoneal carcinoma or other gastrointestinal malignancies were preoperatively subjected to a diagnostic evaluation to predict the histological type and original organ. The CBs were made from 10% formalin neutral buffer solution fixed sediments of fluid samples after cytological smears were made by conventional method. Four-μm thickness sections were prepared from the cell blocks and stained with immunohistochemical method, using 16 kinds of antibodies and hematoxylin eosin staining method. The cellularity, architectural patterns, and morphological details were also studied. The median (range) age of patients was 73 (35-87) years. The clinical features were identified as follows: pleural effusion in 4, ovarian mass in 7, peritoneal dissemination in 12, para-aortic nodal swelling in one, and liver tumor in one (some overlapping). Five patients had a history of prior malignancy. Finally, we could accurately diagnose the histological type in 9 patients based on subsequent biopsy, surgery, and autopsy. In all 9 women, the clinical diagnosis, CB diagnosis and final pathological diagnosis were consistent. The CB technique may be a helpful modality for evaluating fluid cytology to obtain a final histopathologic diagnosis.

Low-Grade Appendiceal Mucinous Neoplasm (LAMN) Primarily Diagnosed as an Ovarian Mucinous Tumor

Background

Low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasms (LAMN) are detected in 0.7 to 1.7% of all appendicectomies. The diagnosis can be challenging, particularly in female patients where the differential diagnosis of primary appendiceal and ovarian mucinous neoplasms is unclear. Case Presentation. A 71-year-old female was referred to our tertiary hospital with the working diagnosis of a right ovarian cystic tumor. The lesion was identified through a transvaginal ultrasound performed for vague lower abdominal pain symptoms. CT scan confirmed these findings. Intraoperatively, an appendiceal mucocele was identified and a right hemicolectomy was performed. The histopathology examination revealed a LAMN. Six months later, the patient remains disease-free. A close biannual oncological follow-up has been suggested.

Conclusion

This case underlines the difficulty in determining the origin of mucinous neoplasms of the right pelvic area. Mucocele of the appendix should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a mass in the right iliac fossa.

Primary mucinous ovarian tumors vs. ovarian metastases from gastrointestinal tract, pancreas and biliary tree: a review of current problematics

Background

Making the distinction between primary mucinous and metastatic ovarian tumors is often difficult, especially in tumors with a primary source from the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas and biliary tree. The aim of the following paper is to provide an overview of the problematics, with a focus on the possibilities of the differential diagnosis at the macroscopic, microscopic and immunohistochemical level.

Main body

The three main aspects of mucinous ovarian tumors are described in detail, including the comparison of the available diagnostic algorithms based on the evaluation of mostly macroscopic features, characterization of the spectrum of microscopic features, and a detailed analysis of the immunophenotype comparing 20 antibodies with the assessment of their statistical significance for differential diagnosis purposes. Specific features, including Krukenberg tumor and pseudomyxoma peritonei, are also discussed.

Conclusion

Despite the growing knowledge of the macroscopic and microscopic features of ovarian mucinous tumors and the availability of a wide range of immunohistochemical antibodies useful in this setting, there still remains a group of tumors which cannot be precisely classified without close clinical-pathological cooperation.

Survival and biomarker analysis for ovarian mucinous carcinoma according to invasive patterns: retrospective analysis and review literature

BACKGROUND

In ovarian mucinous carcinoma, invasive pattern is the important factor but there were less reposts to investigate it. The aim of this study was to examine the association between prognosis and invasive patterns of ovarian mucinous carcinoma and to investigate the biomarkers of the diagnosis and prognosis immunochemically. Patients with ovarian mucinous carcinoma at our institution between 1984 and 2018 were identified. A pathological review was conducted using the 2020 World Health Organization criteria. The prognosis of infiltrative invasion and expansile invasion of ovarian mucinous carcinoma were retrospectively compared. In addition, immunohistochemical staining was conducted for all cases, and the immunohistochemical differences between the two invasive patterns were compared.

RESULTS

After the pathological review, 25 cases with infiltrative invasion and 24 cases with expansile invasion were included. Ovarian mucinous carcinoma with infiltrative invasion showed significantly worse progression-free survival (PFS, p < 0.01) and overall survival (OS, p < 0.01) than those with expansile invasion. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the pattern of infiltrative invasion was a worse prognostic factor for PFS (hazard ratio 9.01, p < 0.01) and OS (hazard ratio 17.56, p < 0.01). Immunohistochemically, cytokeratin (CK) 5/6 (p = 0.01), cluster of differentiation (CD) 24 (p = 0.02), and epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) (p < 0.01) were statistically related to infiltrative invasion. The PFS (p = 0.04) and OS (p = 0.02) of cases with EGFR-positive OMC were worse than those with negative OMC.

CONCLUSIONS

Infiltrative invasion was observed to be a prognostic factor showing worse outcomes for ovarian mucinous carcinoma compared to expansile infiltration. CK5/6, CD24, and EGFR might be biomarkers of the diagnosis.

Familial Adenomatous Polyposis with Synchronous Colorectal, Bilateral Ovarian, and Uterine Malignancies

We present a case of a 47-year-old female with three primary malignancies. This is an unusual presentation and highlights the dilemmas in the workup and formulation of treatment plans. Genetic studies to identify mutations may help explain the pathophysiology.

Antioxidants and Therapeutic Targets in Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma

Ovarian clear cell carcinomas (OCCCs) are resistant to conventional anti-cancer drugs; moreover, the prognoses of advanced or recurrent patients are extremely poor. OCCCs often arise from endometriosis associated with strong oxidative stress. Of note, the stress involved in OCCCs can be divided into the following two categories: (a) carcinogenesis from endometriosis to OCCC and (b) factors related to treatment after carcinogenesis. Antioxidants can reduce the risk of OCCC formation by quenching reactive oxygen species (ROS); however, the oxidant stress-tolerant properties assist in the survival of OCCC cells when the malignant transformation has already occurred. Moreover, the acquisition of oxidative stress resistance is also involved in the cancer stemness of OCCC. This review summarizes the recent advances in the process and prevention of carcinogenesis, the characteristic nature of tumors, and the treatment of post-refractory OCCCs, which are highly linked to oxidative stress. Although therapeutic approaches should still be improved against OCCCs, multi-combinatorial treatments including nucleic acid-based drugs directed to the transcriptional profile of each OCCC are expected to improve the outcomes of patients.