Rapidly increasing incidence of papillary serous carcinoma of the peritoneum in the United States: Fact or artifact?

Abstract

Papillary serous carcinoma of the peritoneum (PSCP) has been recognized for almost 5 decades, but little is known about the etiology or pathogenesis of this uncommon malignancy. The objective of this analysis was to examine trends in the incidence of PSCP in the United States. Invasive PSCP cases (N = 4,389) were identified through 24 population-based registries in the United States during the period 1995-2004. Incidence rates were calculated per million population. PSCP is a disease of older women, with few cases diagnosed before the age of 40 years. The incidence of PSCP was 64% lower among black women and 47% lower among Asian-Pacific Islander women compared with white women. Rates among Hispanic women were 39% lower than among non-Hispanic women. The majority of PSCP (68%) was diagnosed at a distant stage, underscoring the difficulty of diagnosing this malignancy. The incidence of PSCP has increased dramatically during the past decade in the United States with the greatest rise (>13% per year) among non-Hispanic and white women. This trend was more pronounced among older women and women with early stage disease. The incidence of PSCP shows substantial racial and ethnic diversity. The increase in the rate of PSCP among all racial and ethnic groups during the 10-year observation period is cause for some alarm. Although the reason for this temporal trend is unknown, some of the increase may be attributable to reclassification of ovarian carcinoma to the peritoneum.