A case of synchronous endometrial and occult ovarian cancers diagnosed after laparoscopic surgery

Abstract

  We report a case of occult ovarian cancer diagnosed by histopathological examination after a laparoscopic surgery that was performed for endometrial cancer. A 57-year-old postmenopausal woman (gravida 0), who had a history of undergoing myomectomy 22 years ago, was referred to our hospital for positive Pap cytology of the endometrium. Uterine curettage biopsy examination revealed endometrioid carcinoma of grade 1. Magnetic resonance imaging showed thickening of the endometrium and an endometriotic cyst in the left ovary. The patient underwent total laparoscopic hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy. The pathological examination revealed endometrioid carcinoma in the uterine corpus and left ovary. Subsequently, she underwent omentectomy and para-aortic lymphadenectomy for staging of the ovarian cancer. No residual malignant lesions were identified. After the surgery, six cycles of a regimen of paclitaxel and carboplatin was administered. Moreover, there was no evidence of recurrence 10 months after the surgery. It is important to be aware of the possibility of coexisting ovarian malignancy with endometrial cancer, especially in patients of young age or in those with coexisting endometriosis.