Granulosa cell tumors (GCTs) of the ovary: What is the role of radiotherapy?

Granulosa cell tumors of the ovary have an indolent behavior and a good prognosis, but a high incidence of local recurrence after surgery. The best treatment in the recurrent setting is unclear and randomized clinical trials on the management in the recurrent setting are lacking. The role of radiotherapy is controversial in adjuvant settings and unknown in case of relapse after surgery. This review aims to summarize the level of evidence of the role of radiation treatments for granulosa cell tumors of the ovary.

Successful treatment of adult-type granulosa cell tumor of the ovary by palliative radiotherapy.

A 76-year-old woman underwent laparotomy at another hospital because of acute abdomen. Owing to strong attachment and dissemination of the tumor, it was unresectable. Adult-type granulosa cell tumor (AGCT) was diagnosed based on pathological examination. Considering her poor condition, she was advised to receive total supportive care. However, she was lost to follow-up after a few months. Subsequently, she visited our hospital with abdominal distension. A large abdominal tumor and liver metastasis was observed on abdominal computed tomography (CT). We selected palliative radiotherapy to relieve her of the symptoms. External beam radiotherapy was delivered to the affected data. No acute adverse effects were observed. We observed reduction in tumor size on postoperative abdominal CT. She is still alive with no signs of tumor progression for 30 months. Palliative radiotherapy is effective for patients with advanced-stage AGCT and abdominal complaints.

Recurrent juvenile granulosa cell tumor of the ovary managed by palliative radiotherapy.

Prognosis in the few patients with advanced-stage juvenile granulosa cell tumor (JGCT) of the ovary has traditionally been unfavorable. We report a recurrent JGCT patient managed by palliative radiotherapy. A 37-year-old woman with recurrent JGCT received a combination of paclitaxel-carboplatin chemotherapy and then single-agent docetaxel, but her disease progressed with multiple abdominal masses and ascites. We chose palliative radiation therapy to relieve her complaints. Whole-abdominal external beam radiotherapy with pelvic boost was delivered. She tolerated the treatment well. After the completion of radiotherapy, ultrasonography showed shrinkage of the tumor, and the ascites disappeared. We should consider using radiation therapy in a palliative setting for such patients with recurrent JGCT suffering from abdominal complaints.

Granulosa cell tumors. A clinical review of 61 cases.

Sixty-one patients with granulosa cell tumors of the ovary were treated in the A.M. Evans Clinic of the British Columbia Cancer Control Agency between 1944 and 1974. Their treatment and follow-up are reviewed, and while the 5-year survival rate was 78%, the 15-year rate fell to 50%. The material suggests that the trend to total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy has improved the prognosis, but other explanations are, of course, possible as this is a historical comparison.

Complete response of granulosa cell tumor metastatic to liver after hepatic irradiation: a case report.

A case of granulosa cell tumor of the ovary with extensive metastases to the liver was treated by a course of fractionated hepatic irradiation consisting of 30.00 Gray delivered to the whole liver, followed by boost to gross disease for a total dose of 50.00 Gray given in six weeks. This was followed by complete tumor response with normal liver function tests, and computed tomography demonstrated a normal liver two years after radiotherapy. Liver metastases from granulosa cell tumor of the ovary are unusual, and little information has been published regarding management of this problem.

The management of granulosa-cell tumors of the ovary based on long-term follow up.

The results of treatment in 130 cases of GCT of the ovary treated in the Institute of Oncology in Warsaw and followed up from 5 to 40 years were analysed with respect to the methods of therapy and age of the patients. The highest 5-year survival rate (86%) was obtained by combination of radical surgery with external irradiation. Such treatment also resulted in the lowest percentage of early and late failures of the treatment (17%). Conservative surgery, applied in the Ist stage of GCT resulted in 69% of 5-year survivals and gave young women a chance of procreation; however, the majority (69%) of patients who underwent this treatment sooner or later developed a recurrence leading, in consequence, to death.

[Granulosa cell tumors of the ovary]. / Les tumeurs de la granulosa de l'ovaire.

Ovarian granulosa cell tumors (TGO) are rare neoplasms. They arise from sex cord stromal cells of the ovaries. They are characterized by their slow natural history, and their tendency to relapse long time after the initial diagnosis. Complete staging surgery of the disease is the cornerstone of treatment. Chemotherapy is indicated for localized tumors with a high risk of recurrence, and for recurrent or advanced tumors. Prolonged follow-up is recommended.

Role of adjuvant radiotherapy in granulosa cell tumors of the ovary.

PURPOSE: To review the role of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) in the outcome and recurrence patterns of granulosa cell tumors (GCTs) of the ovary. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The records of all patients with GCTs referred to the Princess Margaret Hospital University Health Network between 1961 and 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. The patient, tumor, and treatment factors were assessed by univariate and multivariate analyses using disease-free survival (DFS) as the endpoint. RESULTS: A total of 103 patients with histologically confirmed GCTs were included in the present study. The mean duration of follow-up was 100 months (range, 1-399). Of the 103 patients, 31 received adjuvant RT. A total of 39 patients developed tumor recurrence. The tumor size, incidence of intraoperative rupture, and presence of concurrent endometrial cancer were not significant risk factors for DFS. The median DFS was 251 months for patients who underwent adjuvant RT compared with 112 months for patients who did not (p=.02). On multivariate analysis, adjuvant RT remained a significant prognostic factor for DFS (p=.004). Of the 103 patients, 12 had died and 44 were lost to follow-up. CONCLUSION: Ovarian GCTs can be indolent, with patients achieving long-term survival. In our series, adjuvant RT resulted in a significantly longer DFS. Ideally, randomized trials with long-term follow-up are needed to define the role of adjuvant RT for ovarian GCTs.