[Primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube: a clinicopathological study of 11 cases]

Clinicopathological study of eleven cases of carcinoma of the fallopian tube to understanding possible risk factors for therapeutic failure.

The study group consisted of 11 cases of primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube treated in our Department over 25-year period. Clinical and pathologic data were obtained from the hospital records review.

The mean age of the patients was 57.22 years. Pelvic pain was the predominant symptom (81.8%). Three of 11 patients had the classic syndrome of "hydrops tubae profluens". On the physical examination the pelvic mass was the most frequent finding (72.7%). Five of the 11 patients had never been pregnant and five had had a single pregnancy. In all patients the diagnosis was established at the time of laparotomy. The tumor was unilateral in 72.7% of the cases with equal frequency in the left or the right tube. The tube was significantly dilated in nine patients, in two other the tumor was smaller then 10 mm. Histologically the vast majority of the tumors was papillary serous adenocarcinoma, and only in one case clarocellulare adenocarcinoma was found. The histologic grade was in 63.6% poorly- and in 36.4% moderate differentiated. In 6 patients we found evidence of salpingitis. All of the patients received postoperative adjuvant therapy: irradiation and or chemotherapy. The mean interval from diagnosis to death was 44.5 months.

Multicenter studies are needed to improve the understanding of possible risk factors for diagnostic additionally therapeutic failure and the optimal treatment for each stage of the disease should be defined.