Transitional cell carcinoma of the ovary: a case-control study

The aim of this study is to compare response to chemotherapy and survival between patients with transitional call carcinoma of the ovary (TCCO) and papillary serous ovarian cancer (PSOC).

We identified women with both pure and mixed TCCO who were treated between 2000 and 2010. Each case was matched to two women with PSOC by age, grade, stage, and year of diagnosis. Correlation between categorical variables was assessed with chi square test. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to generate overall survival data (OS). Factors predictive of outcome were compared using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model.

Eighty-one women diagnosed with TCCO were selected as cases and compared to 162 controls. Women with TCCO had a lower rate of platinum resistance compared to controls (9% vs. 25%; p=0.01). When multivariate logistic regression was used to control for other factors independently associated with platinum resistance, patients with TCCO had a significantly lower risk of platinum resistance compared to PSOC. Median progression-free survival was not significantly different (27 months vs. 22 months; p=0.15) for women with TCCO and PSOC, respectively. Median OS, however, was significantly different at 83 months vs. 52 months for the TCCO and PSOC groups, respectively (p=0.01). A Cox proportional hazards model identified optimal cytoreduction, transitional cell histology, age, stage, and platinum and paclitaxel chemotherapy as independent predictors of OS.

Patients with TCCO are less likely to demonstrate resistance to platinum chemotherapy and have improved overall survival when compared to patients with PSOC.