DEVELOPMENT OF ENDOSALPINGIOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH A HISTORY OF BREAST CANCER

Endosalpingiosis occurs in relatively young women. The incidence of endosalpingiosis exceeds that of other diseases affecting female tissues. As endosalpingiosis is a benign tumor, several women with endosalpingiosis are asymptomatic. Endosalpingiosis is a lesion characterized by the presence of ectopic glandular tissues lined with epithelium similar to the tubal-type epithelium. Therefore, the development of endosalpingiosis is frequently incidentally discovered during abdominal surgery for other diseases. A definitive diagnosis of endosalpingiosis is made by pathological diagnosis and pathological findings on the surgically removed tissue. In some cases, glandular structures comprising a single layer of columnar to cuboidal epithelial cells are observed in surgically removed tissues of the uterine body, bilateral peritoneal tissues, omental tissues, and even lymph node tissues. Recently, our medical staff has experienced cases of endosalpingiosis with a history of breast cancer, which rarely has clinically significant consequences. Elucidating the mechanism of endosalpingiosis will facilitate understanding of the origin of primary tumors in the ovaries and peritoneum. Furthermore, to prevent unnecessary additional surgical treatments (e.g., chemotherapy), differentiating endosalpingiosis from ovarian borderline (low-grade) tumors or dissemination of malignant tumors and from endosalpingiosis and primary peritoneal mesothelioma or serous tumors is essential. We here discuss the historical and medical aspects of tubal endometriosis, which was discovered as an intraabdominal mass and incidentally diagnosed.