Primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube: A clinicopathologic analysis of 27 patients.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the clinicopathologic features of women with primary fallopian tube carcinoma

METHODS

Descriptive cross sectional study

METHODS

Twenty-eight women diagnosed with primary fallopian tube carcinoma treated at Chiang Mai University Hospital between January 1997 and December 2004.

RESULTS

During the study period, the primary fallopian tube carcinoma accounted for 0.48% of all gynecologic malignancies. Of the 28 patients, one was excluded for unavailable medical records. Mean age at diagnosis was 53 years (range, 38-76 years). Seventeen (63.0%) were menopausal women. The most common clinical presentation was pelvic mass (55%), followed by abnormal vaginal bleeding (18.5%). Hydrops tubae profluens was present in three (11.1%) women. The rare presenting symptoms included pelvic peritonitis and abnormal glandular cells on cervicovaginal smear were noted in one (3.7%) woman of each category. In all women, primary fallopian tube carcinoma could not be diagnosed preoperatively. During the operation, an abnormal tubal lesion was suspected in only eleven (40.7%) women. Histology were serous adenocarcinoma (70.4%), endometrioid adenocarcinoma (22.2%), undifferentiated adenocarcinoma (3.77%) and carcinosarcoma (3.7%). As opposed to epithelial ovarian cancer, the majority of women in the present study were in the early stages of the disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Primary fallopian tube carcinoma is a rare gynecologic malignancy that has various and nonspecific presentations. Definite diagnosis is usually made postoperatively. This malignancy should be considered in differential diagnosis of peri- and postmenopausal women who present with complex adnexal mass, unexplained uterine bleeding, abnormal glandular cells on cervicovaginal smear and complicated pelvic inflammatory disease.