Ovarian sarcoma carries a poorer prognosis than ovarian epithelial cancer throughout all FIGO stages: a single-center case-control matched study

Abstract

Background: Ovarian sarcomas are poorly-studied rare tumors.

Aim: To compare evolutions of sarcomas and epithelial ovarian carcinomas treated similarly.

Patients and methods: Eleven patients with ovarian sarcomas were retrospectively identified over 12 years at a single tertiary center, the Fundeni Clinical Institute, Bucharest. They were matched to similar patients with epithelial ovarian cancer treated in the same center, by the same surgical teams and according to the same principles in an attempt to clarify the survival difference according to histopathological type with interference given by the above-mentioned variables (surgeon, center, management strategies) eliminated.

Results: For International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage II, overall survival for patients with sarcoma was 90.5 months while for those with epithelial carcinoma it was 113 months (p=0.048). For stage IIIB, overall survival for those with sarcomas was 62 months, while for those with epithelial carcinoma it was 81 months. For stage IIIC, overall survival for those with sarcoma was 14.5 months while it was 55 months for patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (p=0.007). For stage IV overall survival for sarcomas is 2 months while for epithelial cancer is 6 months (p=0.09).

Conclusion: Survival and disease-free interval for patients with ovarian sarcoma are lower than those for patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Re-laparotomy for ovarian sarcoma relapse does not seem to bring any survival benefit.

Keywords: Ovarian sarcoma; case–control study; epithelial ovarian carcinoma.