Recurrence after fertility-preserving surgery for low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma

Fertility-Sparing Management May Be Considered in Young Women with Uterine Sarcoma

Uterine sarcomas occur very rarely in young women. Hysterectomy, which is a standard treatment, may not be acceptable for those patients, especially nulliparous women. Fertility-sparing management may be an alternative. The aim of the study was to assess fertility-sparing management in patients with uterine sarcoma. Eleven patients were eligible for the study. Histopathologic types of the tumor included: adenosarcoma (n = 3), low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (n = 3), low-grade myofibroblastic sarcoma (n = 1), leiomyosarcoma (n = 1), leiomyosarcoma myxoides (n = 1), rhabdomyosarcoma (n = 1), high grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (n = 1). The mean age of the patients at the time of diagnosis was 27.4 years (range: 17–35) and the average follow-up 61 months (range: 12–158). Six patients received adjuvant treatment: megestrol (n = 5) and chemotherapy (n = 1). Recurrence was diagnosed in five cases. Median time to recurrence was 35 months (range: 8–90). Three patients conceived spontaneously following treatment and gave at least one live birth. In total, five full-term pregnancies were recorded and five healthy children were born. Fertility-sparing management may be considered in some patients with uterine sarcoma; however, it may not be appropriate in high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma. Patients with adenosarcoma may have a low chance of childbearing.

Uterine Preservation Treatments in Sarcomas: Oncological Problems and Reproductive Results: A Systematic Review

Uterine sarcomas are rare cancers, sometimes diagnosed in women of childbearing age. Hysterectomy is the standard treatment in early stages. The option of lesion removal to save fertility is described in the literature, but it is still considered experimental. The objective of this systematic review is to report on the available evidence on the reproductive and oncological outcomes of fertility-sparing treatment in women with uterine sarcomas. PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched between 1 January 2011 and 21 June 2021 for publications in English about women with uterine sarcoma treated with a fertility-sparing intervention. Thirty-seven studies were included for a total of 210 patients: 63 low-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas, 35 embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas of the cervix, 19 adenosarcomas, 7 leiomyosarcomas and 2 uterine tumors resembling an ovarian sex cord. Conservative treatment ensured pregnancy in 32% of cases. In terms of oncological outcomes, relapse was related to histology and the worst prognosis was reported for leiomyosarcoma, followed by low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma, which relapsed in 71% and 54% of cases, respectively. The highest death rate was associated with leiomyosarcoma (57.1%). This study demonstrated that fertility-sparing treatments may be employed in selected cases of early stage uterine sarcoma.

Fertility-sparing management of low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma: analysis of an institutional series, a population-based analysis and review of the literature

Background

Low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (LGESS) is the second most common malignant mesenchymal tumor of the uterus which usually affects young women. However, the researches on the safety and feasibility of the fertility-sparing management of it are limited.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed including 5 women diagnosed with LGESS treated with fertility-sparing management at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University from 2010 to 2019. Besides that, 1,070 patients diagnosed with LGESS in SEER database from 1973 to 2016 were examined. By using the Kaplan-Meier method, survival curves were estimated, and comparisons of statistical significance were performed with the stratified log-rank test within each group.

Results

Five patients with LGESS were enrolled in this study. All patients were submitted to fertility-sparing surgeries, after surgery, they all continued hormonal therapy for one year. Four out of the 5 patients recurred, to be more exact, 3 of them recurred in uterus and the other one in the uterus and iliac vascular region. They all suffered further surgery and all 5 patients were alive at the time of last contact. Besides, among these patients, two conceived naturally and delivered a healthy baby by cesarean section. Among 1,070 patients in SEER database, only 28 (2.6%) patients underwent local tumor excision, including excisional biopsy (39%), myomectomy (25%), laser ablation or excision (4%) and polypectomy (4%). There was no statistical significance was observed among TH±BSO, radical hysterectomy, subtotal hysterectomy and local tumor excision (P=0.29).

Conclusions

Our analysis indicated that for those young LGESS patients who wish to preserve their fertility, the feasibility and safety of fertility-sparing management should be considered after gynecological oncologist and gynecological pathologist making professional decisions.