Small cell carcinoma of the ovary successfully treated with radiotherapy only after surgery: case report.

ABSTRACT

UNLABELLED Small cell ovarian tumors are rare and highly malignant, occurring mainly in young patients. Early mortality is high due to the lack of an effective treatment. The first adjuvant therapy is usually chemotherapy. CASE During laparotomy for renal transplant in a 17-year-old girl, the right ovary exhibited a suspicious mass, whose pathological diagnosis was Stage 1A small cell ovarian tumor. Prognosis was poor (young age, hypercalcemia, tumor >10 cm, and presence of large cells). Since chemotherapy is contraindicated for dialysed patients, only radiotherapy was given. The patient is still alive and disease-free ten years after diagnosis. CONCLUSION: This is the first case with a poor prognosis reported in the literature that has been successfully cured by surgery plus adjuvant radiotherapy only.