Malignancy in Abdominal Wall Endometriosis: Is There a Way to Avoid It? A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Malignant-associated abdominal wall endometriosis (AWE) is a rare pathology, likely to occur in 1% of scar endometriosis. The objectives of this study were to update the evidence on tumor degeneration arising from AWE to notify about the clinical characteristics, the different treatments offered to patients and their outcomes. Methods: A comprehensive systematic review of the literature was conducted. PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases were used. Prospero (ID number: CRD42024505274). Results: Out of the 152 studies identified, 63 were included, which involved 73 patients. The main signs and symptoms were a palpable abdominal mass (85.2%) and cyclic pelvic pain (60.6%). The size of the mass varied between 3 and 25 cm. Mean time interval from the first operation to onset of malignant transformation was 20 years. Most common cancerous histological types were clear cell and endometrioid subtypes. Most widely accepted treatment is the surgical resection of local lesions with wide margins combined with adjuvant chemotherapy. The prognosis for endometriosis-associated malignancy in abdominal wall scars is poor, with a five-year survival rate of around 40%. High rates of relapse have been reported. Conclusions: Endometrial implants in the abdominal wall should be considered as preventable complications of gynecological surgeries. Special attention should be paid to women with a history of cesarean section or uterine surgery.

Keywords: abdominal scar; abdominal wall endometriosis; atypical endometriosis; clear cell adenocarcinoma; endometriosis-associated malignancy; extra-pelvic endometriosis.

Figure 1

PRISMA 2020 flow diagram for new systematic reviews with included search results of databases, registers and other sources.