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. 2003 Mar 10;88(5):654-7.
doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6600770.

Carcinosarcoma of the ovary

M A Harris  1 , L M Delap, P S Sengupta, P M Wilkinson, R S Welch, R Swindell, J H Shanks, G Wilson, R J Slade, K Reynolds, G C Jayson
Affiliations

Carcinosarcoma of the ovary

M A Harris et al. Br J Cancer. .

Abstract

We report our experience in the management of patients with carcinosarcoma of the ovary, a rare but aggressive variant of ovarian cancer. Forty patients were treated at a single centre, which is the largest reported series. The median age at diagnosis was 65 years (range 45-86) and the median Karnofsky performance (KP) status was 70. Thirty-two patients (80%) presented with FIGO stage III or IV disease. Twenty-four had heterologous and 14 homologous carcinosarcoma on review of histopathology, but there was no significant difference in survival between these groups (P=0.28). Twenty-seven of the 40 patients had bulk residual disease present after surgery and this was associated with a worse prognosis (P=0.045). Chemotherapy was given to 32 patients (80%) of whom 26 (81%) received platinum-based regimens. Of these 32 patients, three (9.4%) achieved a complete response (CR), 10 (31%) a partial response (PR), five (16%) had stable disease, 10 (31%) had progressive disease and four were not assessable. Of the 19 patients who had a CR, PR or stable disease after chemotherapy or were unevaluable (stage Ic), the median survival was 29.6 months. Currently, seven patients are still alive although one has cancer. The overall censored median survival was 8.7 months after a median follow-up of 34 months, and the 1- and 5-year survival were 40 and 7.5%, respectively.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Relation between bulk residual disease and survival. The number of patients at risk are shown below the x-axis. The dotted line represents patients with complete cytoreduction and those with minimal residual disease. The solid line represents patients with bulky residual disease.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relation between stage and survival. Survival was classified according to stages 1/2 and 3/4. The number of patients at risk are shown below the x-axis. The dotted line represents patients with stage 1 or 2 disease. The solid line represents patients with stages 3 and 4 disease. The stage in one patient could not be determined.
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