[Endometrial adenocarcinoma during the fertile age]

Adenocarcinoma of the endometrium in patients 45 years old or younger accounts for 3-8% of all endometrial cancers diagnosed. Ten women of age = 45 years treated for endometrial cancer stage I in our Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynaecology from December 1979 to December 1988. Two cases were nulliparae, none of the 10 patients had Polycystic ovary syndrome and only was obese. In 80% of these cases the presenting symptom was abnormal vaginal bleeding and one patient had coexisting ovarian neoplasia (endometrioid carcinoma). Atypical endometrial hyperplasia was diagnosed in only one case. None of the patients had metastases or capillary like spaces invasion. Our policy was to treat these patients by hysterectomy (Piver 1 or 2), bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and selective pelvic lymphadenectomy. One patient received adjuvant postoperative radiation therapy (49.5 Gy). One women was submitted two years later to radical mastectomy for ductal carcinoma of the breast. Endometrial adenocarcinoma in premenopausal women is generally of favourable histotype, at early stage and low grade, with excellent prognosis. The problem of quality of life is therefore of utmost importance. After surgical castration 4 of our patients experienced discomfort and excessive weight gain. The implications of long-term estrogen deprivation in younger patients must be seriously considered against as the change of ovarian conservation of hormonal replacement therapy.