[Clinicopathologic features and prognostic factors of endometrial stromal sarcoma: a study of 55 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinicopathologic features and the prognostic factors of endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS). METHODS: 55 cases of endometrial stromal sarcoma were reviewed and categorized into 3 pathologic types based on the related literatures, i.e., low grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (LGESS), undifferentiated endometrial sarcoma with nuclear uniformity (UES-U) and undifferentiated endometrial sarcoma with nuclear pleomorphism (UES-P). Meanwhile, the pathologic features were reviewed, including fibroid, myoid, mucoid, and epithelioid differentiation and mitotic index. Clinical and follow-up data were collected. RESULTS: In endometrial stromal sarcoma, two or three pathologic types co-existed in one case, including 12.8% (5/39) of LGESS, 5/9 of UES-U, and 5/7 of UES-P. Mitotic index varied in different regions of one tumor from rare to high. Multi-differentiation was also commonly seen in ESS. The numbers of cases in LGESS, UES-U and UES-P were 39, 9 and 7, with recurrence rate of 51.6% (16/31), 5/6 and 2/3, respectively. There was no death case in LGESS, and 2 cases were died in UES-U and UES-P, respectively. In the 2 death cases of UES-U, both had focus of UES-P. There was a significant difference in the recurrence rate between cases with different mitotic index (≥ 10/10 HPF and < 10/10 HPF, P = 0.009), especially in LGESS group. All death cases had high mitotic index (> 30/10 HPF). CONCLUSIONS: It is a common phenomenon in ESS that two or three pathologic types may exist in one case, especially in UES-U and UES-P. And multi-differentiation is also commonly seen in ESS. So adequate pathologic sampling is important for pathologists to make a correct diagnosis of ESS in daily work. The recurrence rates are significantly higher in cases with high mitotic index, especially in LGESS. In addition, the presence of UES-P and high mitotic index may increase the risk of death in the patients.

[Ovarian growing teratoma syndrome clinical study of 22 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the essential points for the correct diagnosis and best treatment for ovarian growing teratoma syndrome (GTS) developed after surgery and chemotherapy for ovarian immature teratoma. METHODS: Retrospective review of the clinical characteristics and long term follow up results of 22 cases of ovarian GTS to illustrate the unique biological behavior of the tumor and good prognosis of the disease. RESULTS: Pathological examination of the tumors revealed completely benign mature teratoma with G0 grading in 20 cases. The other 2 cases were found to be G0 mature teratoma with concurrent association of malignant somatic cell tumor: carcinoid and primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) respectively. Among the 22 cases of ovarian GTS there are 6 cases with recurrent tumors developed repeatedly, so totally surgical treatments had been performed for 31 times. Time interval in between the development of the ovarian GTS and the initial surgery for their primary immature teratoma is equal to or exceeding one year in 94% (29/31) of the cases. Such a time factor is of high significance for the diagnosis of ovarian GTS. As the benign behavior of the ovarian GTS together with its poor response to chemotherapy have just been recognized in recent years, they were treated as malignant tumors as their original primary immature teratoma before the year of 1987. Postoperative chemotherapy of various kinds was applied. By the year of 1988 postoperative chemotherapy began to be abandoned and since then most of the patients (9/10) had not received postoperative chemotherapy. After long periods of follow up (3.6 -23.0 years) 20 of the 22 patients are found to be living and well. The rest 2 patients died of the concurrent association of malignant somatic cell tumors with carcinoid and PNET in 0.1 and 0.3 years respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Ovarian GTS is a tumor developed after surgical and chemotherapeutic treatment of malignant ovarian immature teratoma. Pathologic grading of the tumors showed retroconversion of the malignancy of the tumor from G3, G2 or G1 to G0 with good prognosis. The tumor usually remained to be quiescent for long periods of time. But there are also some potential of progressive growth, the tumor may grow to huge size and the recurrent tumor may develop repeatedly for several times more than 10 or 20 years later. Surgical removal should be the main treatment either for the primary or the recurrent tumors. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are not effective and can do nothing but harm to patients. Only correct knowledge about the benign biological behavior of the ovarian GTS and reasonable therapeutic regimen can have the disease ends with good prognosis.

[Outcome analysis of conservative treatment of well-differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma and severe atypical hyperplasia in young women].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of hormonal therapy on well-differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma and severe atypical hyperplasia in young women aged 35 years and younger. METHODS: We retrospectively studied the clinical characteristics of 25 patients under 35 years of age (average: 28.6) diagnosed with well-differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma or severe atypical hyperplasia, who were treated with progestin in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 1991 to 2005. According to pathologic results, 25 patients were divided into two groups: 8 cases of endometrial carcinoma and 17 cases of severe atypical hyperplasia. In the endometrial carcinoma group, pelvic ultrasound, MRI, chest X-ray and serum CA(125) were used in pretreatment evaluation. Progesterone receptors were examined with immunohistochemical method. All patients received dilation and curettage of endometrium every 1-6 months as an assessment of treatment results. For chemotherapy, most of them were treated with medroxyprogesterone acetate. RESULTS: Six cases (6/7) in endometrial carcinoma group, and 17 cases (100%) in severe atypical hyperplasia group responded to treatment respectively; among them, 5 cases (5/7) and 14 cases (82%) had complete response, which was defined as the absence of any carcinoma or hyperplasia on endometrial samplings; one case (1/5) and 3 cases (21%) recurred within 6 to 30 months after their complete response. Follow-up on 14 patients with complete response, and the desire for childbearing showed that none of the 4 cases of endometrial carcinoma had conceived a pregnancy and 4 (40%) patients had pregnancy for totally 7 times of 10 cases of severe atypical hyperplasia. Three patients delivered full-term fetuses with induced ovulation, one of whom had artificial abortion 3 times after her delivery. One patient was lost to follow up after her spontaneous pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Progestin therapy is a good choice for young women having fertility desires diagnosed with well-differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma or severe atypical hyperplasia. Endometrial carcinoma patients should be selected carefully before therapy. Pregnant rate is not satisfactory after conservative treatment. Assistant reproductive technology is potentially helpful to improve pregnant rate of patients responded to progestin therapy.

[Urinary endometriosis].

OBJECTIVE: Aimed at illustrating the means of early diagnosis for prevention of the impairment of kidney function, the results of conservative medical therapy and the surgical treatment in patients with endometriosis of urinary tract. METHODS: Surgical interventions were done in 5 cases with pathological of endometriosis. Ureters were involved by endometriotic lesion in 3 patients, ureters and bladder in one and urethra in another patient. All of the cases were shown at least partial obstruction of the urinary tract by clinical symptoms, diagnostic examinations and the outcomes of various kinds of treatment. RESULTS: Hydropnephrosis and hydroureter were shown by ultrasonography, IVP or retrograde pyelography in one case of ureteral obstruction. A small lump of endometriotic foci along the urethra was detected by manual examination and ultra-sonography in one patient. The relieving of the symptoms and signs of the obstruction of the urinary tract in two cases by GnRH-a or progest in was the evidence of the endometriotic lesion. There were two patients underwent surgical resection of the endometriotic foci surrounding the ureter after medical therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary tract endometriosis are rarely seen and usually escape the attention of the physicians, while they usually cause obstruction of the urinary tract and finally impairment of kidney function if not treated in time. This kind of disease can be easily diagnosed by imaging detection with ultra-sonography, IVP or retrograde pyelography. Conservative treatment with GnRH-a and long acting progesterone as well as surgical treatments are effective for this kind of disease.