Abstract
Background Earlier literature suggests that ovarian preservation in young premenopausal clinical stage I endometrioid endometrial carcinoma patients does not negatively impact prognosis and is a more suitable choice for management of the disease. The main purpose of this study was to clarify the incidence of ovarian malignant involvement in premenopausal clinical stage I endometrioid endometrial carcinoma and further identify potential preoperative predictive factors of ovarian malignant involvement. Methods Premenopausal patients (≤50 years) with clinical stage I endometrioid endometrial carcinoma subjected to total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with or without pelvic and/or para-aortic lymph node dissection at Women’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine between 2002 and 2016 were enrolled for study. Patients were excluded in cases of gross extra pelvic disease on examination or imaging and family history of colon or gastrointestinal carcinoma. The included patient population was examined for incidence of ovarian malignant involvement and potential preoperative clinical predictive factors.Results A total of 511 premenopausal (age≤50 years) patients diagnosed with clinical stage I endometrioid endometrial carcinoma were enrolled for the study. Ovarian malignant involvements were detected in 23 of the patients (4.5%). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed poorer prognoses of patients with ovarian malignant involvement than those without ovarian involvement. Univariate and multivariate logistic analysis validated preoperative imaging of myometrial invasion depth, the gross appearance of the ovaries, and preoperative serum carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) level as independent risk predictors of postoperative ovarian malignant involvement. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves was individually generated for preoperative myometrial invasion depth, the gross appearance of the ovaries, and serum CA125 level as well as a combination of the three factors. The area under curve (AUC) was 0.858 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.757–0.960) for the combined three factors.Conclusions The incidence of ovarian malignant involvement in premenopausal patients with clinical stage I endometrioid endometrial carcinoma was relatively minimal. Preoperative imaging of myometrial invasion depth, the gross appearance of the ovaries, and serum CA125 level were independent risk predictors of ovarian malignant involvement. These findings may facilitate preoperative counseling of patients and informed clinical decision-making on ovarian preservation in these patients.