Management and prognosis of borderline ovarian Brenner tumors

A report of twenty cases of ovarian Brenner tumor and literature review: a case series study

BACKGROUND

To explore the clinical characteristics of ovarian Brenner tumors and provide some basis for the treatment regimen of ovarian Brenner tumors.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of the pathology database of surgical specimens at the Huzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital from September 2008 to February 2023 was conducted. Patients who were pathologically diagnosed with ovarian Brenner tumors were included. Clinical data of patients was collected, and their diagnostic and treatment characteristics were summarized and analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 20 cases were included in this study, all of which were histologically confirmed by surgical pathology. Among them, 8 cases (40%) were combined with serous, mucinous cystadenoma, or simple cyst. One case presented with a benign ovarian Brenner tumor combined with mucinous cystadenoma, underwent right adnexectomy, and relapsed 5 years later as a malignant Brenner tumor (MBT) coexisting with ovarian squamous cell carcinoma. Multiple tumor markers were elevated malignantly, with CA199 being the most significant. Treatments included unilateral adnexectomy in 7 cases, bilateral adnexectomy in 3 cases, total hysterectomy with bilateral adnexectomy in 7 cases, radical hysterectomy in 1 case, and 2 cases underwent ovarian staging surgery. MBT patients received three cycles of postoperative chemotherapy with the carboplatin-paclitaxel (TC) regimen.

FOLLOW-UP

One case with concomitant cervical cancer was lost to follow-up after surgery in an external hospital; one case with concomitant ovarian cancer received no further treatment after surgery and was lost to follow-up after 2 years; one case with concomitant endometrial cancer received no further treatment after surgery, and had no recurrence after 4 years of follow-up. Regular follow-up for MBT patients continued for 5 years without recurrence. The remaining 16 cases were followed up for a period ranging from 6 months to 7 years, with no reported recurrences.

CONCLUSION

Clinical manifestations and auxiliary examinations of ovarian Brenner tumors lack obvious specificity. When necessary, a combination of tumor markers and imaging examinations can aid in diagnosis. Surgical strategies should be selected according to the patient's menopausal status.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Not applicable.

Brenner Tumor of the Ovary: A 10-Year Single Institution Experience and Comprehensive Review of the Literature

Brenner tumors (BTs) are surface-epithelial stromal cell tumors that are categorized by the World Health Organization as benign, borderline, and malignant. Due to the rarity of BTs, the published literature on these tumors is comprised primarily of case reports and small retrospective studies. We performed a pathology database review spanning the last ten years at our institution revealing nine reported benign BTs. We collected the clinical and pathological data of patients associated with those BTs, describing the clinical presentation and imaging results, and assessing the possible risk factors associated with them. The average age at diagnosis was 58 years. BTs were discovered incidentally in 7/9 cases. The tumor was multifocal and bilateral in 1/9 cases and ranged in size from 0.2 cm to 7.5 cm. Associated Walthard rests were found in 6/9 cases and transitional metaplasia of surface ovarian and/or tubal epithelium was found in 4/9 cases. One patient had an associated mucinous cystadenoma in the ipsilateral ovary. Another patient had an associated mucinous cystadenoma in the contralateral ovary. In conclusion, we found that Walthard rests and transitional metaplasia are common findings in association with BTs. Additionally, pathologists and surgeons need to be aware of the association between mucinous cystadenomas and BTs.

Thoracic spinal metastasis as recurrence of borderline Brenner tumor without local recurrence: A case report

Background

Brenner tumor is a rare epithelial ovarian neoplasm that accounts for 2-3% of all ovarian neoplasms. Herein, we report the first case of thoracic spinal metastasis of recurrent Brenner tumor without local recurrence.Case Description.A 70-year-old female presented with a feeling of abdominal distension. Computed tomography revealed cystic lesions in her bilateral ovaries. Blood examination revealed high CA-125 [74.9 U/ml]. We excised bilateral ovaries, uterus, and omentum. Borderline Brenner tumor was diagnosed [Ki-67 labeling index: 10 %]. Follow-up abdominal echo and CA-125 examination revealed no local recurrence. 26 months later she developed paraplegia. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed tumor in the 5th-9th thoracic vertebra and compression of spinal cord at the 6th thoracic vertebra level. Her paraplegia was progressive. We performed semi-urgent partial resection of tumor and release of spinal cord compression. Spinal metastasis from Brenner tumor was diagnosed [Ki-67 labeling index: 50-60 %]. She received adjuvant radiation of 30 Gy in 10 fractions to the 4th-10th thoracic vertebra. After radiation and rehabilitation, she was discharged home on foot. She received adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy but died 11 months after spinal surgery. An autopsy has not been performed on her, and the cause of death is unknown.

Conclusion

We report the first case of thoracic metastasis of recurrent Brenner tumor without local recurrence.

Fertility-sparing surgery for borderline ovarian Brenner tumor and subsequent childbirth: First case report and a literature review

Borderline ovarian Brenner tumors are rare malignancies mainly diagnosed after menopause. A first pregnancy after fertility-sparing surgery by laparoscopic unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was reported in a previous article. We now report the first baby birth after unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for a borderline ovarian Brenner tumor and a review of the literature.

Thoracic spinal metastasis as recurrence of borderline Brenner tumor without local recurrence: A case report

Background

Brenner tumor is a rare epithelial ovarian neoplasm that accounts for 2-3% of all ovarian neoplasms. Herein, we report the first case of thoracic spinal metastasis of recurrent Brenner tumor without local recurrence.Case Description.A 70-year-old female presented with a feeling of abdominal distension. Computed tomography revealed cystic lesions in her bilateral ovaries. Blood examination revealed high CA-125 [74.9 U/ml]. We excised bilateral ovaries, uterus, and omentum. Borderline Brenner tumor was diagnosed [Ki-67 labeling index: 10 %]. Follow-up abdominal echo and CA-125 examination revealed no local recurrence. 26 months later she developed paraplegia. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed tumor in the 5th-9th thoracic vertebra and compression of spinal cord at the 6th thoracic vertebra level. Her paraplegia was progressive. We performed semi-urgent partial resection of tumor and release of spinal cord compression. Spinal metastasis from Brenner tumor was diagnosed [Ki-67 labeling index: 50-60 %]. She received adjuvant radiation of 30 Gy in 10 fractions to the 4th-10th thoracic vertebra. After radiation and rehabilitation, she was discharged home on foot. She received adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy but died 11 months after spinal surgery. An autopsy has not been performed on her, and the cause of death is unknown.

Conclusion

We report the first case of thoracic metastasis of recurrent Brenner tumor without local recurrence.

Brenner Borderline Ovarian Tumor: A Case Series and Literature Review

BACKGROUND

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

PATIENTS AND METHODS

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

RESULTS

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

CONCLUSIONS

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

Borderline Brenner Tumor of the Ovary Coexisting With an Ovarian Mucinous Cystadenoma With Focal Atypical Epithelial Proliferation: A Rare Case With Review of the Literature

Ovarian Brenner tumors, accounting for ∼5% of overall ovarian epithelial neoplasm, are often reported in association with mucinous neoplasm. Histogenetically, the two tumors are thought to arise from similar precursors. To date, fewer than 60 borderline Brenner tumors alone have been reported, and the concomitant presence of atypical proliferative components in Brenner and mucinous tumors is even rarer. Therefore, the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients with the borderline Brenner tumors alone or coexisting with mucinous neoplasm are extremely limited. Herein, we report a unique case of a 53-year-old woman with a unilateral ovarian borderline Brenner tumor associated with focal atypical mucinous epithelial proliferation and her clinical presentations. The clinicopathological features of the tumor are documented and the literature review along with the clinical molecular advances are summarized in this study.

[Borderline ovarian tumours: CNGOF Guidelines for clinical practice - Biopathology of ovarian borderline tumors]

OBJECTIVES

Ovarian borderline tumors (OBT) represent a heterogeneous group of lesions with specific management for each histological subtype. Thus, the correct histological diagnosis is mandatory.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

References were searched by PubMed from January 2000 to January 2018 and original articles in French and English literature were selected.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

OBT should be classified according to the last WHO classification. Any micro-invasion (foci<5mm) or microcarcinoma (foci<5mm with nuclear atypia and desmoplastic stromal reaction) should be indicated in the pathology report. In case of serous OBT, variants (classical or the micropapillary/cribriform) should be indicated (grade C). The peritoneal implants associated with OBT, should be classified as invasive or noninvasive, according to the extension into the underlying adipous tissue. If no adipous tissue is seen the term undetermined should be used (grade B). In case of mucinous OBT bilateral and/or with peritoneal implants or peritoneal pseudomyxoma a search for primitive gastrointestinal, appendiceal or biliopancreatic tumor should be performed (grade C). In case of OBT, a thorough sampling of the tumor is recommended, with 1 block/cm and 2 blocks/cm in case of mucinous OBT, serous OBT micropapillary variant, OBT with intraepithelial carcinoma or/and micro-invasion. Peritoneal implants should be examined in toto. Omentum without macroscopic lesion should be sampled in 4 to 6 blocks (grade C). In case of ovarian cyst suspicious for OBT, fine needle aspiration is not recommended (grade C). In case of ovarian tumor suspicious for OBT, intraoperative examination should be performed by a gynecological pathologist (grade C).

Amplification of MDM2 and Loss of p16 Expression: Do They Have a Role in Malignant Transformation of Ovarian Brenner Tumor?

OBJECTIVES

To review the significance of MDM2 and cyclin D1 expression and loss of p16 expression in malignant and borderline Brenner tumors (BTs) of the ovary.

METHODS

We describe 2 new cases of ovarian BT, 1 malignant and 1 borderline. We studied MDM2, p16, and cyclin D1 expression by immunohistochemistry in the benign, borderline, and malignant components of these 2 cases and in 5 additional cases of benign BT. We also reviewed and summarized the literature on the clinical, immunohistochemical and molecular characteristics of borderline and malignant BTs (BdBTs and MBTs).

RESULTS

Nuclear expression of MDM2 was seen only in the MBT. Loss of p16 expression was seen in both BdBT and MBT. Cyclin D1 expression was in proportion to the degree of malignancy. Amplification of MDM2, loss of CDKN2A (p16-encoding gene), and amplification of CCND1 (cyclin D1-encoding gene) were confirmed by commercial next-generation sequencing in the case of MBT.

CONCLUSIONS

We are the first to report immunohistochemical expression of MDM2 in an MBT. Amplification of MDM2 and loss of p16 expression may have a role in malignant transformation of BT.

Uncommon borderline ovarian tumours: A clinicopathologic study of seventeen patients

Objective

To evaluate uncommon types of borderline ovarian tumors (BOT) and define the clinical, surgical, and pathologic features.

Material and Methods

Seventeen patients who were treated in our hospital between 1990 and 2017 were identified. Patients’ data were collected from the gynecologic oncology clinic electronic database, patients’ files, and pathology reports. Conservative surgery was defined as preservation of the uterus and at least part of one ovary.

Results

The mean age was 47 (range, 22-70) years. Based on histopathologic tumor type, there was mixed tumor in five (29.4%) patients, endometrioid-type in nine (52.9%), seromusinous-type in two (11.8%), and Brenner-type in one (5.9%). Conservative surgery was performed in 4 patients. Two patients with endometrioid BOT had synchronous endometrial pathology, including one (11%) patient with endometrial cancer, one (11%) with endometrial hyperplasia without atypia, and 3 (33%) patients had endometriosis. The median follow-up was 19 (range, 1-137) months. No recurrence was observed during the follow-up period.

Conclusion

In our small volume case series, it could be said that non-serous/non-mucinous BOT has excellent prognosis. However, endometrial pathology should be checked in endometrioid type.

Borderline Brenner Tumor: A Review of the Literature

Brenner tumors arise from ovarian epithelium, accounting for approximately 5% of benign ovarian epithelial tumors. The World Health Organization classification groups them into benign, borderline, and malignant on the basis of proliferation and invasiveness, and borderline Brenner tumor is defined as “displaying epithelial proliferation beyond that seen in benign Brenner's tumor, but lacking stromal invasion.” Borderline Brenner tumors are rare. Fewer than 60 cases have been reported. The more recent articles mostly focus on pathogenesis. We reviewed the literature on borderline Brenner tumor and have summarized the clinical and pathologic findings, as well as the treatment, differential diagnoses, and recent advances in histogenesis and molecular pathogenesis.

Ovarian borderline tumors in the 2014 WHO classification: evolving concepts and diagnostic criteria

Borderline ovarian tumors (BOT) are uncommon but not rare epithelial ovarian neoplasms, intermediate between benign and malignant categories. Since BOT were first identified >40 years ago, they have inspired controversies disproportionate to their incidence. This review discusses diagnostic criteria for the histologic subtypes of BOT, highlighting areas of diagnostic challenges, ongoing controversies, and changes in terminology implemented by the recent 2014 WHO Classification of Tumours of the Female Genital Organs. Emerging knowledge supports the notion that subtypes of borderline ovarian tumors comprise distinct biologic, pathogenetic, and molecular entities, precluding a single unifying concept for BOT. Serous borderline tumors (SBT) share molecular and genetic alterations with low-grade serous carcinomas and can present at higher stages with peritoneal implants and/or lymph node involvement, which validates their borderline malignant potential. All other (non-serous) subtypes of BOT commonly present at stage I confined to the ovary(ies) and are associated with overall survival approaching that of the general population. An important change in the WHO 2014 classification is the new terminology of non-invasive implants associated with SBT, as any invasive foci (previously called “invasive implants”) are now in line with their biological behavior considered peritoneal low-grade serous carcinoma (LGSC). The controversy regarding the terminology of non-serous borderline tumors, called by some pathologists “atypical proliferative tumor” in view of their largely benign behavior, has not been resolved. The concepts of intraepithelial carcinoma and microinvasion may evolve in further studies, as their presence appears to have no prognostic impact and is subject to considerable inter-observer variability.

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

Background

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

Case

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

Electronic supplementary material

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

Preoperative HE4 and ROMA values do not improve the CA125 diagnostic value for borderline tumors of the ovary (BOT) - a study of the TOC Consortium

Background

Borderline tumors of the ovary (BOT) are a distinct entity of ovarian tumors, characterized by lack of stromal invasion. Recent studies postulated that the presence of invasive implants, incomplete staging, fertility sparing surgery and residual tumor after surgery are major prognostic factors for BOT. There are no biomarkers that can predict BOT or the presence of invasive implants.

Objective

The aim of our study was to assess the value of CA125 and HE4 alone, or within ROMA score for detecting BOT, and for predicting the presence of invasive implants.

Methods

Retrospective, monocentric study on 167 women diagnosed with BOT or benign ovarian masses. Serum HE4, CA125 levels and ROMA were assessed preoperatively. Due to low number of BOT with invasive implants, we performed an unmatched analysis (consecutive patients) and a matched analysis (according to age and histology) to compare BOT with invasive implants, BOT without invasive implants and benign disease.

Results

There were no significant differences in the HE4 and CA125 expressions in the three groups of patients (p = 0.984 and p = 0.141, respectively). The ROC analysis showed that CA125 alone is superior to ROMA and HE4 in discriminating patients with BOT with invasive implants from patients with benign diseases and BOT without invasive implants. A newly established score, ROMABOT, did not perform better than ROMA. The analysis of the matched groups revealed similar results as the analysis of all samples.

Conclusions

Both HE4 and CA125 are not reliable biomarkers for the diagnosis of BOT or for predicting the presence of invasive implants.