Patterns of spread and genetic alterations of primary endometrioid carcinomas of the ovary

Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2023 Sep 4;33(9):1434-1439. doi: 10.1136/ijgc-2023-004627.

Abstract

Objective: The primary objective was to characterize the rate of lymph node involvement in a cohort of patients with primary ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinoma. Additionally, we sought to quantify the recurrence rate, genetic alterations, and impact of lymphadenectomy on survival in this group of patients.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with primary endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the ovary without synchronous carcinomas of the female genital tract between 2012 and 2021 were identified. Demographic and disease-related data were collected from pathology reports and clinical records. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis using log rank test and Cox regression was performed.

Results: Sixty-three patients met inclusion criteria. Median age was 60 (range 22-90) years. Histologic grade was 1 in 20 (32%), 2 in 27 (43%), and 3 in 16 (25%) tumors. International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage after surgery included IA/B (n=20, 32%), IC (n=23, 37%), II (n=16, 25%), and III (n=4, 6%). Forty-one (65%) patients had pelvic and 33 (52%) had both pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy. All assessed lymph nodes were negative for metastatic carcinoma. No patients with clinically pelvis-confined disease had tumors upstaged by either lymphadenectomy or omentectomy. Twenty-eight patients (44%) had germline mutational status documented; two had a germline BRCA mutation, confirmed to be pathogenic by molecular studies. Complete staging did not significantly impact progression free or overall survival, after adjusting for age and histologic grade in a Cox proportional hazards model. The recurrence rate was 15% for patients with grade 1 endometrioid carcinoma, 7% for grade 2, and 31% for grade 3, respectively.

Conclusion: There were no lymph node metastases in patients with comprehensively staged primary endometrioid ovarian carcinoma. Staging did not impact survival and may be omitted, regardless of grade. Germline BRCA mutations are rare in ovarian endometrioid carcinoma compared with reported rates in high-grade serous carcinomas.

Keywords: Ovarian Cancer; Surgical Oncology.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Carcinoma, Endometrioid* / genetics
  • Carcinoma, Endometrioid* / surgery
  • Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial / surgery
  • Endometrial Neoplasms* / genetics
  • Endometrial Neoplasms* / surgery
  • Female
  • Germ-Line Mutation
  • Humans
  • Lymph Node Excision
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Ovarian Neoplasms* / genetics
  • Ovarian Neoplasms* / surgery
  • Pelvis / pathology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Young Adult