Clinicopathological study of ovarian carcinoid tumours

To describe the clinical features, treatment, clinical course and survival rates of women diagnosed with ovarian carcinoid tumours.

A retrospective chart review was performed of all patients diagnosed with primary ovarian carcinoid tumours who were managed by the Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer from 1982 to 2015.

Eighteen patients were identified with ovarian carcinoid tumours over the 32 years of the study period. Of the 18 patients, 14 were diagnosed with stage 1 disease, two were diagnosed with stage 3 disease and two were diagnosed with stage 4 disease. Carcinoid syndrome was present in two patients. All patients underwent surgical management. Follow-up strategies varied for early stage disease, but no patient with early stage disease received any adjuvant treatment and no patient developed recurrent disease. Patients with advanced stage disease were treated with cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy. The five year survival was 100% for stage 1 disease, and 25% for stages 3 and 4 disease.

The vast majority of carcinoid tumours are diagnosed as an incidental finding. Prognosis for early stage disease is excellent, whether conservative or more extensive surgery with staging was performed, and intensive follow up did not influence survival. Optimal treatment for advanced disease remains unknown and requires further study.