Ovarian endometriosis associated with ovarian cancer and endometrial–endocervical polyps

Abstract

Ovarian endometriosis may be associated with an increased incidence of both ovarian cancer and endometrial polyps. Careful evaluation for coexistent pathology should be undertaken in women with symptomatic endometriosis.

The relation between endometriosis and ovarian cancer – a review

“…The studies included in this review were very heterogeneous because they dealt with different subgroups of women with endometriosis. One subgroup consisted of women with a history of infertility , another of women with moderate or severe endometriosis and a third group of women with endometriosis who had been discharged from hospital . These subgroups of women with endometriosis cannot be compared with women with endometriosis in general, because the patient groups had all been in contact with healthcare systems, suggesting that they were more severely affected by the disease.…”

High prevalence of endometrial polyps in endometriosis-associated infertility

“…It is not known whether endometrial polyps are a risk factor or an etiologic factor in endometriotic infertility, and there are very few reports in the literature that investigate this association. Several studies have shown a higher frequency of endometrial polyps in patients with endometriosis compared with those without the disease (7)(8)(9). Other investigators have revealed an increased presence of pelvic or peritoneal endometriosis in patients who had suspected endometrial polyps on hysterosalpingography (10,11).…”

Expression of oct-4 and c-kit antigens in endometriosis

“…The risk of ovarian carcinoma in patients with endometriosis has been noted, especially in cases of clear cell cancer, which is supposed to develop from endometriotic implants in the ovary (3)(4)(5). Several investigators have suggested that endometriosis is a precancer disease, in which endometrial ectopic cells may be cells with cancer-like characteristics that differentiate into neoplastic cells (6,7).…”