Prognostic factors in women with synchronous endometrial and ovarian cancers

The research progress on synchronous endometrial and ovarian carcinoma

Synchronous endometrial and ovarian carcinoma (SEOC) is the most common combination of primary double cancer in the female reproductive system. The etiology and pathogenesis of SEOC remain unclear, and clinically, it is often misdiagnosed as metastatic cancer, affecting the formulation of treatment plans and prognosis for patients. This article provides a review of its epidemiology, pathological and clinical characteristics, risk factors, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.

Synchronous primary endometrium and ovarian carcinoma: A case report

Synchronous tumors of the female genital tract are rare and should be differentiated from primary endometrial or ovarian tumors with metastasis as the two entities have different therapeutic and prognostic implications.

How to manage synchronous endometrial and ovarian cancer patients?

Backgrounds

We aimed to evaluate the prognosis in patients with synchronous endometrial and ovarian cancer (SEOC) by comparing the differences between double primary cancer (DPC) and metastatic cancer (MC).

Methods

The medical records of 47 patients diagnosed synchronously with endometrial and ovarian cancer between January 2006 and December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Twenty-eight and 19 patients were diagnosed with DPC and MC, respectively. Demographics, recurrence-free survival (RFS), and 5-year overall survival (OS) were compared. The clinical factors affecting survival were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results

The demographics were not different between both groups. Endometrioid histology and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics grade were higher in the MC group than in the DPC group (42.1% vs. 10.7%; P = 0.018, P = 0.002, respectively). The ratio of post-operative adjuvant therapy was not different in both groups. Recurrence occurred in five patients with DPC and seven with MC. The difference in RFS was not significantly different (P = 0.131) but the OS was different between both groups (P = 0.020). Histology and para-aortic lymph node metastasis were associated wtih RFS in univariate analysis, but no difference was found in multivariate analysis.

Conclusions

Although DPC patients had longer OS, multivariate analysis did not identify any influential factors. Focus should be placed on defining the appropriate adjuvant treatment for high-risk patients, which will improve prognosis, rather than on discriminating between DPC and MC.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-021-08220-w.

Evaluation of liquid from the Papanicolaou test and other liquid biopsies for the detection of endometrial and ovarian cancers

We report the detection of endometrial and ovarian cancers based on genetic analyses of DNA recovered from the fluids obtained during a routine Papanicolaou (Pap) test. The new test, called PapSEEK, incorporates assays for mutations in 18 genes as well as an assay for aneuploidy. In Pap brush samples from 382 endometrial cancer patients, 81% [95% confidence interval (CI), 77 to 85%] were positive, including 78% of patients with early-stage disease. The sensitivity in 245 ovarian cancer patients was 33% (95% CI, 27 to 39%), including 34% of patients with early-stage disease. In contrast, only 1.4% of 714 women without cancer had positive Pap brush samples (specificity, ~99%). Next, we showed that intrauterine sampling with a Tao brush increased the detection of malignancy over endocervical sampling with a Pap brush: 93% of 123 (95% CI, 87 to 97%) patients with endometrial cancer and 45% of 51 (95% CI, 31 to 60%) patients with ovarian cancer were positive, whereas none of the samples from 125 women without cancer were positive (specificity, 100%). Finally, in 83 ovarian cancer patients in whom plasma was available, circulating tumor DNA was found in 43% of patients (95% CI, 33 to 55%). When plasma and Pap brush samples were both tested, the sensitivity for ovarian cancer increased to 63% (95% CI, 51 to 73%). These results demonstrate the potential of mutation-based diagnostics to detect gynecologic cancers at a stage when they are more likely to be curable.

The prognosis of stage IA synchronous endometrial endometrioid and ovarian carcinomas

Introduction

Little is known about the prevalence and prognosis of synchronous endometrial and ovarian carcinomas. This report explores the survival outcomes of synchronous stage IA endometrioid endometrial and stage IA ovarian carcinomas in a retrospective cohort study.

Methods

All cases of pathological confirmed synchronous stage IA endometrial endometrioid and ovarian carcinomas from June 1, 2010, to June 1, 2017, in a teaching hospital were reviewed. Patients were followed up to February 1, 2019. Survival outcomes were compared between patients with and without synchronous carcinomas.

Results

In total, 841 cases with confirmed FIGO stage IA endometrioid endometrial carcinomas were included in the study; 33 patients (3.9%) had synchronous stage IA ovarian carcinomas, including 27 (81.8%) and 6 (18.2%) cases of endometrioid and mixed endometrioid/clear cell subtypes, respectively. After a median follow-up time of 56.8 months, 829 patients (97.9%) had definitive survival outcomes. Synchronous ovarian carcinomas had no impact on disease-free, overall or cancer-specific overall survival in univariate and multivariate analyses.

Conclusion

In these patients with stage IA endometrioid endometrial carcinoma, the genuine incidence of synchronous stage IA ovarian carcinoma was very low, and synchronous carcinoma had no significant effects on survival outcomes.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s00404-019-05288-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Comparison and analysis of the clinicopathological features of SCEO and ECOM

Objective

The aim of our study was to evaluate and compare the differences in the clinicopathological variables and overall survival (OS) of synchronous primary cancers of the endometrium and ovary (SCEO) and endometrial cancer with ovarian metastasis (ECOM). In addition, we aimed to determine the characteristics of and effective treatments for patients with SCEO to avoid misdiagnosis and overtreatment.

Materials and methods

A review of medical records from January 2009 to January 2017 revealed 111 patients with coexisting ovarian and endometrial carcinoma diagnosed at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University. Clinicopathological variables were analysed using the Chi square test and Student’s t test. The survival rate was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and statistical significance was analysed using the logarithmic rank test (univariate analysis).

Results

There were 51 cases of SCEO and 60 cases of ECOM. The mean age at diagnosis was 53.96 years and 55.41 years, respectively. There were no differences in age, menopausal status, BMI, CA125 level or complaints between the two groups. The 5-year survival rates were 58.8 and 36.7%, respectively (P < 0.001). Significant differences were found in the endometrial tumour classification, ovarian cancer stage, and lymph node and omentum metastasis between SCEO and ECOM.

Conclusions

The differences found between SCEO and ECOM are of great clinical significance. Our results reveal useful prognostic and clinicopathological features. More aggressive therapies should be administered to both SCEO and ECOM patients, especially elderly patients and those with menopause, endometrial tumours, advanced omentum metastasis, and lymph node dissection.

Guidelines to Aid in the Distinction of Endometrial and Endocervical Carcinomas, and the Distinction of Independent Primary Carcinomas of the Endometrium and Adnexa From Metastatic Spread Between These and Other Sites

In most cases of suspected endometrial neoplasia tumor origin can be correctly assigned according to a combination of clinical, radiologic, and pathologic features, even when the latter are based upon the examination of relatively small biopsy samples. However there are well-recognized exceptions to this rule which continue to create diagnostic difficulty, and sometimes difficulties persist even after the detailed examination of resection specimens. Among the most common problems encountered in practice are the distinction of primary endometrial and primary endocervical adenocarcinomas, and the determination of tumor origin when there is synchronous, multifocal involvement of gynecologic tract sites, for example the endometrium and the ovary. However, accurate diagnosis in these cases is important because this has significant staging, management and prognostic implications. In this review we discuss the value and limitations of key morphologic, immunophenotypic and molecular findings in these diagnostic scenarios.

Potential for Mitochondrial DNA Sequencing in the Differential Diagnosis of Gynaecological Malignancies

In the event of multiple synchronous gynecological lesions, a fundamental piece of information to determine patient management, prognosis, and therapeutic regimen choice is whether the simultaneous malignancies arise independently or as a result of metastatic dissemination. An example of synchronous primary tumors of the female genital tract most frequently described are ovarian and endometrial cancers. Surgical findings and histopathological examination aimed at resolving this conundrum may be aided by molecular analyses, although they are too often inconclusive. High mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variability and its propensity to accumulate mutations has been proposed by our group as a tool to define clonality. We showed mtDNA sequencing to be informative in synchronous primary ovarian and endometrial cancer, detecting tumor-specific mutations in both lesions, ruling out independence of the two neoplasms, and indicating clonality. Furthermore, we tested this method in another frequent simultaneously detected gynecological lesion type, borderline ovarian cancer and their peritoneal implants, which may be monoclonal extra-ovarian metastases or polyclonal independent masses. The purpose of this review is to provide an update on the potential use of mtDNA sequencing in distinguishing independent and metastatic lesions in gynecological cancers, and to compare the efficiency of molecular analyses currently in use with this novel method.

Primary ovarian small cell carcinoma of pulmonary type with coexisting endometrial carcinoma in a breast cancer patient receiving tamoxifen: A case report and literature review

RATIONALE

Small cell carcinoma of the ovary (SCCO) is a rare and aggressive extra-pulmonary variant of small cell tumors of uncertain histogenesis. The pathogenesis and optimal treatment of SCCO is unclear. We present a very rare case of a synchronous primary ovarian small cell carcinoma and endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the uterus in a patient after 2 years of tamoxifen treatment for breast cancer. This is the first such report in the English literature.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 46-year-old woman had a history of left breast cancer that was treated with a simple mastectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy in 2013. The post-operative pathology was invasive ductal carcinoma of the left breast. she had been taking tamoxifen for 2 years. The patient underwent an exploratory laparotomy to reduce the tumor burden, improve bowel compression symptoms, and promote defecation in 2015. The post-operative pathology revealed a rare, simultaneous occurrence of two tumors (endometrial adenocarcinoma and SCCO [pulmonary type]).

DIAGNOSES

Primary ovarian small cell carcinoma of pulmonary type with coexisting endometrial carcinoma in a breast cancer patient.

INTERVENTIONS

The patient received 3 courses of chemotherapy after operation. The effect was not apparent and the general health status was poor.

OUTCOMES

The patient died of progressive disease 7 months post-operatively.

LESSONS

The present case suggests that tamoxifen use might be among many etiologic factors in SCCO development. Despite its rarity, SCCO requires a high degree of attention in clinical work because it is an aggressive tumor that has a poor prognosis.

Pathologic Staging of Endometrial Carcinomas: Selected Areas of Difficulty

Accurate staging of cancers is an important determinant of prognosis and guides optimal patient treatment. Although the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting recommends that endometrial cancers (including carcinosarcomas) are pathologically staged using the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2009 system, in many areas TNM [American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) or Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)] staging is used or even mandated; these latter systems are based on FIGO 2009. In this review, areas of difficulty in the pathologic staging of endometrial carcinomas are covered with practical advice for the reporting pathologist. These include issues regarding the assessment of the depth of myometrial involvement (which may be rendered difficult due to a variety of factors), tumor involvement of adenomyosis, and assessment of cervical and uterine serosal involvement. Although not included in the FIGO staging system, the issue of lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) is covered as this is of prognostic importance and there are multiple problems in the pathologic assessment of this. One important point is that tumors should not be upstaged based on the presence of LVSI alone without tissue involvement; for example, the presence of LVSI in the outer half of the myometrium or in cervical or adnexal vessels in a carcinoma with myoinvasion confined to the inner half of the myometrium is still FIGO stage IA. The issue of simultaneously occurring tumors of the endometrium and adnexa is also covered with advice on how to distinguish between synchronous independent and metastatic neoplasms of both endometrioid and nonendometrioid types. Recent molecular evidence showing that simultaneously occurring endometrioid carcinomas of the endometrium and ovary are clonal and thus probably represent metastatic disease from the endometrium to the ovary rather than synchronous independent neoplasms, as is widely assumed, is discussed.

Clinicopathological Characteristics and Prognostic Factors of Synchronous Endometrial and Ovarian Cancers-A Single-Institute Review of 43 Cases

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of our study were to demonstrate the clinicopathological characteristics and determine the prognostic factors for women with synchronous primary cancers of the endometrium and ovary.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of 43 pathologically proven cases of synchronous primary endometrial and ovarian cancers diagnosed between January 2005 and December 2015 was carried out. Patients with uterine sarcomas, carcinosarcomas, borderline tumors, and nonepithelial tumors of the ovary and patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy were excluded from the study. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate analysis to determine independent prognostic factors was performed using the Cox regression model.

RESULTS

Mean age at diagnosis was 48.49 years. The most common presenting symptom was abnormal uterine bleeding in 58.2% of the patients. Nineteen patients (44.2%) were obese, and 13 patients (30.2%) were overweight. Twelve patients (30%) were nulliparous, and 25 (58.2%) were premenopausal; 76.7% of the patients received adjuvant treatment after surgery. Mean follow-up period was 48.9 months. Twelve patients developed recurrence, and 7 patients died of recurrent disease. The 5-year DFS for all patients was 65.13%, and the 5-year OS was 79.75%. The 118-month DFS and 118-month OS were 65.13% and 72.50%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, grade 3 disease for both endometrial and ovarian cancers and presence of lymphovascular space invasion were associated with significantly worse 118-month DFS and OS, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Women with synchronous primary endometrial and ovarian cancers are young, nulliparous, obese, and premenopausal and have a favorable overall prognosis. Grade 3 disease at both sites and presence of lymphovascular space invasion are independent prognostic factors for recurrence and survival, respectively.

Risk factors for ovarian involvement in young and premenopausal endometrioid endometrial cancer patients

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the incidence of ovarian malignant involvement in young and premenopausal endometrioid endometrial cancer and study the possible risk factors.

METHODS

Premenopausal patients 45 years of age or younger with endometrioid endometrial cancer treated at the OB/GYN Hospital of Fudan University between 2009 and 2013 were identified. The incidence of ovarian malignant involvement in young and premenopausal endometrioid endometrial cancer patients were calculated and the possible risk factors were investigated.

RESULTS

A total of 144 younger (age ≤ 45, premenopausal) patients with endometrioid endometrial cancer were identified and coexisting malignant ovarian neoplasms were detected in 6 patients. Univariate analysis revealed that deeper myometrial invasion, positive lymphonode metastasis, positive LVSI, and high histologic grade (G2-G3) were associated with ovarian involvement in younger endometrial cancer patients. However, multivariate analysis revealed that only deep myometrial invasion was an independent risk factors for ovarian involvement (OR = 12.81, P = 0.046).

CONCLUSION

In conclusions, the incidence of coexisting ovarian malignant neoplasms in young and premenopausal patients with endometrioid endometrial cancer is low, and these findings may facilitate preoperative counseling of patients and decision making at the time of surgery.

Synchronous Endometrial and Ovarian Carcinoma: A Case Series

Synchronous ovarian and endometrial cancer (SEOC) is a rare instance but it accounts for 50-70% of all synchronous female genital tract tumors. We report three cases of women who were diagnosed with SEOC and underwent surgical staging. All cases were of the endometrioid subtype, grade 1, both in the ovarian and endometrial component. Two of them were stage Ia/Ia, and the third was stage Ib/Ib. More than 2 years after the diagnosis, all patients were alive and recurrence-free. The present report critically discusses the main characteristics, risk factors, and management of patients with SEOCs.

Comparison of clinicopathologic variables in coexistence cancers of the endometrium and ovary: A review of 55 cases in an academic center in Iran

Background:

The coexistence primary cancers of the endometrium and ovary are relatively uncommon. The purpose of this study was to characterize patients diagnosed primary synchronous endometrial and ovarian cancer (SEOC), endometrial cancer (EC) with ovarian metastasis, and ovarian cancer (OC) with endometrial metastasis and compare clinicopathologic variables and prognosis.

Materials and Methods:

All the patients with diagnosis of both endometrium and OC, who hospitalized between 2002 and 2012 in an academic center affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences, were evaluated with respect to different clinicopathologic variables, follow-up times, and outcomes.

Results:

Fifty-five patients had been diagnosed with both endometrium and OC. 17, 26, and 12 patients were diagnosed as SEOC, EC, and OC, respectively. The frequency of abnormal uterine bleeding was significantly lower in OC (16.7%) compared to others (58.8% in SEOC and 53.8% in EC). However, the abdominal/pelvic pain was significantly higher in OC (50%) compared to others (35.3% in SEOC and 34.6% in EC) (P < 0.05). Complex atypical hyperplasia (87.5%), endometriosis (88.8%), and endometrioid carcinoma (54.5%) was observed most in SEOC group. The duration of follow-up time was between 3 and 171 months with a mean of 16 months. There was no death in SEOC who followed. Survivals of patients between three group were statistically significant (P = 0.032).

Conclusion:

Our results showed that overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of SEOC patients is better than those with EC and OC (P = 0.032).

Clinicopathologic and survival analyses of synchronous primary endometrial and epithelial ovarian cancers

AIM

The aim of the study was to describe clinicopathologic characteristics, survival outcomes and the factors associated with recurrence in patients diagnosed with synchronous primary endometrial and epithelial ovarian cancers.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In this retrospective study, 50 patients who were diagnosed with synchronous primary endometrial and epithelial ovarian cancers and underwent surgery between 1998 and 2010 were reviewed.

RESULTS

In our study, the median age at the time of diagnosis was 53 years (range 28-79). The most common presenting symptom was abnormal uterine bleeding with a ratio of 36%. Fifty-four percent of the patients had endometrioid type endometrial cancer and endometrioid type ovarian cancer. All patients were surgically staged and the majority of the patients were in stage I for both endometrial cancer (58%) and ovarian cancer (60%). Nearly one-third (32%) of the patients had a recurrence during the follow-up period and by Cox regression analysis the level of cancer antigen 125 (P = 0.023) at diagnosis, serous or clear-cell histopathologic type ovarian cancer (P = 0.029) and stage of endometrial cancer above I (P = 0.048) were found to be independent risk factors associated with development of recurrence. Patients with endometrioid type endometrium histology and endometrioid type ovarian histology had favorable prognosis with 120.00 months mean disease-free survival and 92% disease-free survival rate at 36 months.

CONCLUSION

In our cohort, we found that endometrioid/endometrioid type synchronous primary endometrial and ovarian cancer had different clinical histopathologic characteristics and favorable prognosis compared to the other histologic types of these cancers. Histopathologic type of the ovarian cancer component, stage of endometrial cancer and level of cancer antigen 125 at diagnosis were observed to have a great influence on the development of recurrence and survival of synchronous primary carcinomas of the endometrium and ovary.