A Case Report: Puerperal Ovarian Cancer in a Patient with a Prior History of Fertility Treatment and Ovarian Endometrial Cyst

Abstract

Introduction: It has been suggested the relationship between infertility treatment and ovarian cancer. Furthermore, endometriosis that is one of the causes of the infertility tends to develop into endometrioid adenocarcinoma and clear cell carcinoma in many studies. Case: A 38-year-old woman underwent laparoscopic enucleation of bilateral ovarian endometrial cysts at 29 and 33 years old. She then received 11 sessions of artificial insemination and 7 cycles of ovarian stimulation, egg collection, in vitro fertilization, and embryo transfer at multiple medical institutions before conceiving and giving birth to her first child. After naturally conceiving her second child, she presented at our hospital for pregnancy/delivery management with a right ovarian tumor. She underwent abdominal right adnexectomy for a mucinous cystic tumor of borderline malignancy at 36 years old (17 weeks of pregnancy with the second child). After vaginal delivery at 38 weeks, a 1-month postpartum checkup revealed a left adnexal mass and ascites. Further workup led to a diagnosis of left ovarian cancer. The cancer was diagnosed by ovarian biopsy as unresectable stage-IIIc endometrioid carcinoma. Despite chemotherapy, the patient developed liver metastasis during treatment and died due to worsened general condition 9 months after childbirth. In addition to ovarian endometrial cyst, repeated cycles of injury and repair of the ovarian surface epithelium are also suggested to mediate the development of epithelial ovarian cancer. Conclusion: Evaluation of long-term outcome and follow-up of patients who have undergone fertility treatment should be addressed.