Tomáš Pichlík

Malignant transformation of extragenital endometriosis

Endometriosis is a chronic disease characterised by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity, affecting 5–15% of women, especially those of reproductive age. The disease may manifest itself as dysmenorrhoea, dyspareunia, sterility and chronic pelvic pain, among other symptoms. Although it is not malignant, it shares some characteristics with cancer and can lead to epithelial ovarian carcinoma. The risk of malignant transformation of endometriosis is estimated at 1% in premenopausal women and 1–2.5% in postmenopausal women. Our case report describes a 46-year-old female patient with long-standing abdominal pain and a history of surgically confirmed endometriosis. Imaging revealed a cystic mass in the left mesogastrium, which was subsequently surgically removed. Histological examination confirmed the presence of a low-grade endometrioid carcinoma arising from an extragenital endometriosis lesion. Following surgical treatment, the patient underwent adjuvant chemotherapy, after which she was in complete remission. The diagnosis of malignant transformation of endometriosis is complex, requiring a combination of thorough clinical examination, imaging, and histopathological verification. Therapy involves radical surgery and possibly adjuvant chemotherapy, similar to ovarian carcinomas. Despite advances in treatment and research, endometriosis remains a complex disease with unclear aetiology, heterogeneous clinical presentation, and risk of malignant transformation. Key words: endometriosis– malignant transformation – extragenital lesion – diagnosis – treatment

New staging of endometrial carcinoma – FIGO 2023

Aim: To review the changes in the new version of the FIGO 2023 staging system for endometrial cancer. Methods and results: The new FIGO 2023 endometrial cancer staging system provides key updates for the diagnosis and treatment of endometrial cancer. An important step in diagnosis is molecular classification, which allows more accurate risk stratification for recurrence and the identification of targeted therapies. The new staging system, based on the recommendations of the international societies ESGO, ESTRO and ESP, incorporates not only the description of the pathological and anatomical extent of the disease, but also the histopathological characteristics of the tumour, including the histological type and the presence of lymphovascular space invasion. In addition, the staging system uses molecular testing to classify endometrial cancers into four prognostic groups: POLEmut, MMRd, NSMP and p53abn. Each group has its own specific characteristics and prognosis. The most significant changes have occurred in stages I and II, in which the sub-staging better reflects the biological behaviour of the tumour. This update increases the accuracy of prognosis and improves individualized treatment options for patients with endometrial cancer. Conclusion: The updated FIGO staging of endometrial cancer for 2023 incorporates different histologic types, tumour features, and molecular classifications to better reflect the current improved understanding of the complex nature of several endometrial cancer types and their underlying bio logic behaviour. The aim of the new endometrial cancer staging system is to better define stages with similar prognosis, allowing for more precise indication of individualised adjuvant radiation or systemic treatment, including the use of immunotherapy. Key words: endometrial cancer – FIGO – staging – molecular classification – update

Preoperative and postoperative staging in endometrial cancer – a prospective study

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine how often changes the stage of the tumour in definitive histology against preoperative clinical stage in patient cohort with diagnosed endometrial cancer. Methods: We evaluated prospectively a cohort of 166 patients with endometrial cancer. They all underwent abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, sentinel lymph node biopsy. Patients with high-risk tumours also pelvic lymfadenectomy. We collected data of preoperative diagnostic biopsy and postoperative definitive histology. The data were statistically processed. Results: Detection of sentinel lymph node was successful in 71.1%, bilateral successful detection was in 40.6%. Discrepancy of tumour grade between preoperative biopsy and definitive histology was generally 31.4%. Upgrading of the tumour was in 22 (14.4%) cases, downgrading in 26 (17%) cases. Upgrade from low-risk to high-risk group of tumours was noticed in eight cases. Histopathological tumour type changed in 6.6%, 4.6% moved to histopathologic high-risk group. The tumour stage changed in definite histology in 57.3%, in 19.2% of cases moved from stage low/intermediate-risk group to intermediate-high/high-risk disease group. Conclusion: Correct assessment of preoperative clinical stage and histological grade of endometrial cancer is burdened with a high inaccuracy rate. A lot of cases is up-staged after surgical staging and moved to intermediate-high/high-risk disease group. Results confirm the importance of oncogynaecologic centre II. evaluation of histopathology findings from diagnostic biopsies made in referring hospitals. Sentinel lymph node biopsy should be performed even in clinically low/intermediate-risk disease group. Key words: endometrial cancer – tumour stage – tumour grade – sentinel lymph node detection