Abstract
Objective:The aim of this study was to review patients with tubal carcinoma who underwent surgery in our clinic due to primary carcinoma of the fallopian tubes, a very rare gynecologic malignancy.Materials and Methods:Sixteen patients who were diagnosed as having primary carcinoma of the fallopian tubes and underwent surgery in Zeynep Kamil Research and Training Hospital between January 2007 and December 2014 were included in the study. Demographic data such as age, gravidity, parity, menopausal condition, symptoms, adjuvant therapy, recurrence of tumor, as well as time and type of operation were extracted from patient epicrisis reports and oncology files. Patient information was extracted from the patients’ current files and phone calls were made with patients and their relatives.Results:The mean age of patients was 59.6 (range, 43-78) years. Seventy-five percent of the women were menopausal at admission; the mean menopause duration was 10 years (range, 1-20 years). None of the patients were nulliparous and mean parity was 4.3 (2-8). The most common presenting symptom was abdominopelvic pain, followed by abnormal uterine bleeding. The most common histopathologic type was high-grade serous carcinoma. The mean follow-up duration was 23.7 months (range, 2-53 months). During follow-up, recurrence was seen in 4 (25%) patients. One patient left the study during follow-up. The mean disease-free survival was 48 months. No relation was found between disease-free survival, age, stage, grade, and histologic type in univariate logistic regression analysis.Conclusion:Primary carcinoma of the fallopian tubes is a rare gynecologic tumor that is seen in older patients, has no specific signs, and usually cannot be diagnosed before surgery. Therefore, we think that large-series, multi-centered studies with long-term follow-up duration are needed to define its etiopathogenesis and treatment strategies for the disease.
Highlights
Primary fallopian tube carcinoma (PFTC) is a rarely-seen tumor that makes up approximately 0.14-0.18% of gynecologic malignancies[1,2]
Because PFTC has the same clinical findings and pathologic characteristics as serous epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) and primary peritoneal serous carcinoma (PPSC) its actual incidence is lower, but some studies have indicated that its frequency is on the rise[3,4]
The diagnostic criteria of PFTC have definite rules: The mass lesion in question must be located within the fallopian tube; the hystopathologic appearance of the tumor must reflect tubal epithelium; there should not be any pathologic finding of uterus and ovaries, or must include fewer tumors than the fallopian tube; and there must be a transition from benign to malignant epithelium[5]
Summary
Primary fallopian tube carcinoma (PFTC) is a rarely-seen tumor that makes up approximately 0.14-0.18% of gynecologic malignancies[1,2]. The diagnostic criteria of PFTC have definite rules: The mass lesion in question must be located within the fallopian tube; the hystopathologic appearance of the tumor must reflect tubal epithelium; there should not be any pathologic finding of uterus and ovaries, or must include fewer tumors than the fallopian tube; and there must be a transition from benign to malignant epithelium[5]. In accordance with these criteria, PFTC is rare and there is always the possibility that some tubal lesions go unnoticed due to limitations in sampling. Our aim was to discuss patients whose tubal carcinoma was diagnosed and treated surgically in our clinic in light of relevant literature
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