Clinicopathological analysis of patients with molecularly confirmed stage I adult granulosa cell tumors and prediction of recurrence

Gynecol Oncol. 2023 Sep:176:106-114. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2023.07.007. Epub 2023 Jul 23.

Abstract

Objective: Adult granulosa cell tumors (AGCTs) are rare malignancies that accounts for approximately 1% of ovarian neoplasms. As there are currently no well-recognized models for predicting relapse-free survival (RFS), we performed a clinicopathological analysis to identify risk factors for AGCT recurrence.

Methods: We investigated 130 patients with pathologically diagnosed AGCT as confirmed by the presence of the characteristic FOXL2 C402G mutation.

Results: Most patients had International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage I disease (n = 122, 95.3%). The 10-year RFS rate was 31.4% (22/70) and mean 10-year RFS was 74.4 (95% CI, 65.2-83.7) months. Ten patients experienced recurrence beyond the 10-year follow-up period. Undergoing fertility sparing surgery, an estrogen receptor-α (ERα) score (>0.25), and a Ki-67 index >15% were independent risk factors for recurrence in patients with stage I disease (bias-corrected C-index: 0.776). We constructed a nomogram with well-fitting calibration plots; the areas under the curve (AUCs) for 5-, and 10-year RFS prediction were 0.883 and 0.906 respectively. A simplified model with 3 predictive factors (ERα score, Ki-67 index, and primary surgical procedure) and 2 risk stratification subgroups (low- and high-risk) was constructed; its AUCs for 5-, and 10-year RFS prediction were 0.825 and 0.850 respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed significant differences in 10-year RFS between the low- and high-risk groups (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: The type of primary surgical procedure, ERα score, and Ki-67 index are independent predictors of recurrence for patients with stage I AGCT. Our predictive model based on these factors showed good performance.

Keywords: Adult granulosa cell tumor; Estrogen receptor-α; Ki-67; Predictive model; Primary surgical procedure; Risk of recurrence.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Estrogen Receptor alpha
  • Female
  • Granulosa Cell Tumor* / genetics
  • Granulosa Cell Tumor* / surgery
  • Humans
  • Ki-67 Antigen
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / genetics
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / pathology
  • Ovarian Neoplasms* / genetics
  • Ovarian Neoplasms* / surgery

Substances

  • Estrogen Receptor alpha
  • Ki-67 Antigen