Synchronous early-stage endometrial and ovarian cancer

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinicopathologic findings and oncological outcome of early-stage synchronous endometrial and ovarian malignancies. METHODS: A retrospective study of 93 women with synchronous stage I ovarian and stage I-II endometrial cancer treated between December 1981 and August 2005 in the gynecologic oncology department of San Gerardo Hospital, Italy. RESULTS: Fifty-one percent of the ovarian tumors were stage Ia and 71% of the endometrial cancers had minimal myometrial invasion. Endometrioid histology and grade 2 disease were prevalent in both sites. Hyperplasia and endometriosis coexisted in 71% and 22% of endometrial and ovarian cancers, respectively. The actuarial 5-year disease-free and overall survival rates were 83% and 96%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The incidence of synchronous endometrial and ovarian cancer is not negligible, especially among young women. Synchronous cancers show very favorable pathologic features and have an excellent oncologic outcome. Adjuvant therapy should be tailored according to surgical staging and histology.