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Review
. 2020 Jul-Aug;34(4):2147-2152.
doi: 10.21873/invivo.12021.

Endometriosis-associated Clear Cell Carcinoma of the Abdominal Wall After Caesarean Section: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Luca Giannella  1 , Matteo Serri  1 , Elena Maccaroni  2 , Jacopo DI Giuseppe  1 , Giovanni Delli Carpini  1 , Rossana Berardi  2 , Francesco Sopracordevole  3 , Andrea Ciavattini  4
Affiliations
Review

Endometriosis-associated Clear Cell Carcinoma of the Abdominal Wall After Caesarean Section: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Luca Giannella et al. In Vivo. 2020 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

Background/aim: Clear cell carcinoma of the abdominal wall is a sporadic event. To date, about thirty cases have been reported in the literature. This article provides a case report and literature review of an infrequent occurrence with poor prognosis.

Case report: A 45-year-old woman with pelvic pain and an abdominal mass came to our attention. Her medical history was notable for two previous cesarean sections. Physical examination revealed a smooth, multilocular mass measuring about 20 cm, arising from the previous surgical scar. Histology revealed clear-cell carcinoma resulting from the transformation of abdominal wall endometriosis. Given the disease extent, the patient underwent front-line chemotherapy. After several and multiple chemotherapy regimens, there was a disease progression that resulted in the death of the patient in 7 months. The literature review showed that a previous cesarean section was present in 91% of cases. Besides, approximately 26.5% of women died within 12 months of being diagnosed. The mean age of women was 45.88 years, while the average size of the lesion was 11 cm.

Conclusion: Clear cell carcinoma is a rare but occurring event. Middle-aged women showing an abdominal wall mass in close relation with a surgical scar from a previous cesarean section must be promptly investigated. Treatment options usually include surgery and chemotherapy with poor results.

Keywords: Clear cell carcinoma; abdominal wall endometriosis; cesarean scar endometriosis; chemotherapy; endometriosis; surgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Computed tomography scan showing intra-abdominal (A), and parietal (B) disease extension after second-line chemotherapy (red arrow)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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