Malignant mixed mesodermal tumors and carcinosarcoma of the ovary: report of eight cases and review of literature

Abstract

Eight cases of malignant mixed mesodermal tumors and carcinosarcoma of the ovary from our files and 193 cases from the literature were reviewed. An attempt is made to analyze these cases in regard to clinical feature, treatment results, and their outcome. A detailed review of the histogenesis is presented. These tumors grow very rapidly and are usually in advanced stages when diagnosed. Most patients are postmenopausal. Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, either alone or in combination, have been used to treat this neoplasm, but 77.6 per cent of the patients are dead of their disease within 1 year. Limited data suggests that patients treated with surgery and combination chemotherapy survive longer. However, further investigation in finding new combination therapy is desired.