Primary psammocarcinoma of the ovary or peritoneum

The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of patients treated for peritoneal or ovarian psammocarcinoma (PSC).

Review of patients with PSC who underwent cytoreductive surgery in our institution with a follow-up of more than 18 months (the ovarian or peritoneal tumor was histologically reviewed by our reference pathologist).

From 1997 to 2006, 15 patients with PSC were histologically reviewed in our institution. Five of these patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Four patients had ovarian PSC, and 1 had peritoneal PSC. Four patients were surgically treated during initial management and another patient at the time of recurrence. All of them underwent complete cytoreductive surgery followed by intraperitoneal chemotherapy in 2 patients and by conventional adjuvant chemotherapy in 1. After a median follow-up of 42 months, 4 of them remain disease-free.

Peritoneal or ovarian PSC is a rare low-grade carcinoma characterized by a more favorable prognosis than classic carcinoma. The place of debulking surgery at the time of initial or recurrent management is important.