Adenocarcinoma of the fallopian tubes: a clinicopathological study of eight cases

Eight cases of clinically evident adenocarcinoma of fallopian tubes were encountered in King George V Memorial Hospital between Jan. 1950 and Dec. 1981. The tumours occurred predominantly in postmenopausal women and usually presented with vaginal bleeding and/or abdominal pain. A pelvic mass was invariably present. The tubal carcinomas were associated with peritoneal endosalpingiosis, ovarian serous neoplasms and epithelial lesions of the breast. Tumour spread was mainly by invasion of the tubal wall with direct involvement of adjacent organs and subsequent transcelomic dissemination. Prognostic factors are discussed. One patient presented with cerebellar disturbance which was considered to be a paraneoplastic syndrome. We believe this to be the first case of such a syndrome in association with tubal carcinoma and the case history is presented in detail.