Massive intra-abdominal undifferentiated carcinoma derived from an endometrioid adenocarcinoma in a "normal-sized" ovary

Int J Gynecol Pathol. 2010 Jul;29(4):321-7. doi: 10.1097/PGP.0b013e3181c4f35f.

Abstract

We report a case of massive intra-abdominal undifferentiated carcinoma derived from a tiny well-differentiated endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the ovary. The patient, a 56-year-old woman, who presented with a large intra-abdominal mass, underwent cytoreductive surgery with hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Macroscopically, the intra-abdominal mass was composed of fragile and solid tumor components with extensive necro-hemorrhagic areas, mimicking a primary peritoneal tumor. Both ovaries were apparently normal in size, but a cut section of the right ovary revealed a 2-cm solid and cystic tumor showing focal rupture to the peritoneal surface. The intra-abdominal tumor consisted of pleomorphic cells without specific differentiation, showing diffuse sheet-like proliferation. The right ovarian tumor was a histologically well-differentiated endometrioid adenocarcinoma. Both the intra-abdominal undifferentiated tumor and the ovarian adenocarcinoma cells were immunohistochemically positive for keratin AE1/3, Ber-EP4, and CD10. Epithelial membrane antigen was positive only in the ovarian adenocarcinoma component, and vimentin was diffusely positive only in the intra-abdominal undifferentiated tumor component. Calretinin was negative in both tumor components. Allelotype analysis using 24 polymorphic markers located on 12 chromosomal arms showed that the intra-abdominal undifferentiated carcinoma and ovarian adenocarcinoma components had a high concordance rate (88%) of allelic patterns including identical allelic loss patterns at 7 chromosomal loci, suggesting a common genetic lineage. These data suggest that ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinoma, even when small in size, can give rise to a massive undifferentiated carcinoma filling the peritoneal cavity.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Alleles
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / analysis
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism
  • Calbindin 2
  • Carcinoma, Endometrioid / metabolism
  • Carcinoma, Endometrioid / secondary*
  • Carcinoma, Endometrioid / surgery
  • DNA, Neoplasm / chemistry
  • DNA, Neoplasm / genetics
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Keratins, Hair-Specific / metabolism
  • Middle Aged
  • Mucin-1 / metabolism
  • Neprilysin / metabolism
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / surgery
  • Peritoneal Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Peritoneal Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Peritoneal Neoplasms / surgery
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • S100 Calcium Binding Protein G / metabolism
  • Vimentin / metabolism

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • CALB2 protein, human
  • Calbindin 2
  • DNA, Neoplasm
  • KRTAP1-3 protein, human
  • Keratins, Hair-Specific
  • Mucin-1
  • S100 Calcium Binding Protein G
  • Vimentin
  • human epithelial antigen-125
  • Neprilysin