Ovarian metastasis in patients with endometrial cancer: risk factors and impact on survival.

BACKGROUND: Oophorectomy is generally performed in patients with endometrial cancer despite the rate of ovarian metastasis being relatively low.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A multicenter retrospective registry-based study was performed in 2329 patients with endometrial cancer. The outcome measures were the incidence of ovarian metastasis and the impact on overall survival.

RESULTS: Median follow-up was performed at 84 months. A total of 2158 women were eligible for analysis, of which 131 (6.1%) had ovarian metastasis. Women with ovarian metastasis were more likely to have > 50% myometrial invasion, undifferentiated nonendometrioid tumors, and lymph and vascular space invasion. The presence of < 50% myometrial invasion, endometrioid histology, well-differentiated cancer, and negative lymph and vascular space invasion were associated with a very low rate (0.5%) of ovarian metastasis. Notably, after matching for tumor histology and grade, myometrial invasion, and lymph and vascular space invasion, ovarian metastasis was not associated with a reduced median overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS: Ovarian preservation should be offered to premenopausal women with endometrial cancer in whom myometrial invasion is less than 50%, the histological type is endometrioid and well-differentiated, and lymph and vascular space invasion is not involved.