Rare case of coexisting ovarian Brenner tumour and ovarian stromal hyperplasia presenting with persistent endometrial hyperplasia following treatment with levonorgestrel-intrauterine system.

Endometrial hyperplasia (EH) is a precursor of endometrial cancer. It arises in an environment of unopposed oestrogen. Treatment is based on a combination of weight management, diet and exercise, and the use of progestogens either via a levonogestrel-intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) or orally. The LNG-IUS is the first-line recommendation for EH without atypia. Recurrences are rare, and any recurrences despite prolonged treatment and control of risk factors necessitate a thorough consideration of other oestrogenic sources. This case report presents a rare case of a coexisting ovarian Brenner tumour and ovarian stromal hyperplasia in a menopausal patient in her 50s with recurrent EH despite earlier regression. The above histology may have provided the additional oestrogenic influence. This patient subsequently underwent a definitive hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO). It is important to maintain a high index of suspicion for potential oestrogenic influences in cases of refractory EH that are not identifiable on imaging. BSO should be considered at the time of hysterectomy in such cases of unidentified oestrogenic foci.

Management of a complete hydatidiform mole with a coexisting live fetus followed by successful treatment of maternal metastatic gestational trophoblastic disease: learning points.

A 34-year-old patient had her first trimester Down syndrome scan followed by serial ultrasound scans which showed a single intrauterine pregnancy with multiple cystic areas in the anterior placenta. She presented in preterm labour with a breech presentation at 32 weeks and underwent an emergency caesarean section. She delivered a male infant weighing 1750 g. The placental histopathology showed a complete hyatidiform mole. At 4 weeks postpartum, beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin (Bhcg) levels rose from 460 to 836 mIU/mL over 1 week. Metastatic workup revealed prominent pelvic nodes and pulmonary nodules in both lungs. This was discussed at the Multi-Disciplinary Tumour Board and single-agent intramuscular methotrexate was recommended. After chemotherapy, she achieved Bhcg normalisation after three cycles. This case highlights the importance of clinical vigilance even in low-risk patients. Unexpected findings on ultrasound should involve multidisciplinary input with radiology colleagues. A high index of suspicion for gestational trophoblastic disease and close follow-up is imperative.

Clinical outcomes in endometrial cancer care when the standard of care shifts from open surgery to robotics.

INTRODUCTION: In Singapore, the standard of care for endometrial cancer staging remains laparotomy. Since the introduction of gynecologic robotic surgery, there have been more data comparing robotic surgery to laparoscopy in the management of endometrial cancer. This study reviewed clinical outcomes in endometrial cancer in a program that moved from laparotomy to robotic surgery. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed on 124 consecutive endometrial cancer patients. Preoperative data and postoperative outcomes of 34 patients undergoing robotic surgical staging were compared with 90 patients who underwent open endometrial cancer staging during the same period and in the year before the introduction of robotics. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the mean age, body mass index, rates of diabetes, hypertension, previous surgery, parity, medical conditions, size of specimens, histologic type, or stage of cancer between the robotic and the open surgery groups. The first 20 robotic-assisted cases had a mean (SD) operative time of 196 (60) minutes, and the next 14 cases had a mean time of 124 (64) minutes comparable to that for open surgery. The mean number of lymph nodes retrieved during robot-assisted staging was smaller than open laparotomy in the first 20 cases but not significantly different for the subsequent 14 cases. Robot-assisted surgery was associated with lower intraoperative blood loss (110 [24] vs 250 [83] mL, P < 0.05), a lower rate of postoperative complications (8.8% vs 26.8%, P = 0.032), a lower wound complication rate (0% vs 9.9%, P = 0.044), a decreased requirement for postoperative parenteral analgesia (5.9% vs 51.1, P < 0.001), and shorter length of hospitalization (2.0 [1.1] vs 6.0 [4.5] days, P < 0.001) compared to patients in the open laparotomy group. CONCLUSIONS: Our series shows that outcomes traditionally associated with laparoscopic endometrial cancer staging are achievable by laparoscopy-naive gynecologic cancer surgeons moving from laparotomy to robot-assisted endometrial cancer staging after a relatively small number of cases.