Torsion of a functional ovarian cyst in a premenopausal patient receiving tamoxifen.

We report a case of torsion of an ovarian follicular cyst that developed during treatment with tamoxifen for breast cancer. A 40-year-old Japanese woman was admitted complaining of acute lower abdominal pain. Eight months earlier, she had undergone a partial mastectomy and local irradiation for ductal carcinoma of her left breast, estrogen receptor-positive stage I (T(1a) N(1b) M(0)). The administration of tamoxifen, 20 mg/day, and doxifluridine, 600 mg/day, were started immediately postoperatively. Pelvic examination after admission revealed the left ovarian cyst and enlarged uterus. Transvaginal ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed a multilocular cystic mass in the pelvic cavity. The pathological diagnosis of the tumor after total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was a typical follicular cyst with torsion and uterine leiomyoma. This ovarian cyst was believed to have developed during tamoxifen administration.     

Endometrial metastasis from breast cancer in a patient receiving tamoxifen therapy

Tamoxifen (TAM) is known to be associated with several types of endometrial pathologies, e.g. hyperplasias, polyps and endometrial carcinomas, sometimes of special histologic type. Here we report a rare case of endometrial metastasis from a breast carcinoma (ductal carcinoma) discovered during TAM therapy. This occurrence does not suggest that TAM treatment causes endometrial metastases of breast cancer. However, clinicians should be aware of this possibility and provide patients receiving TAM therapy with close gynecologic follow-up using liberal indications for endometrial biopsies.     

Cystic ovarian necrosis complicating tamoxifen therapy for breast cancer in a premenopausal woman. A case report

A premenopausal woman with recurrent stage II ductal breast carcinoma was treated with tamoxifen. After ten months of therapy her ovaries became acutely cystic and necrotic, but vascular torsion was not present. This case illustrates the special complications of tamoxifen therapy in premenopausal women.     

Severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome after combined GnRH-agonist and low-dose human chorionic gonadotropin trigger in a patient with a single kidney

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) following gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) trigger is rare. Here, we report a case of severe OHSS after combined GnRH-a and low-dose human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) trigger in a patient with a single kidney. The patient is a 32-year-old women with a two-year history of infertility. The patient’s history was significant for a single kidney, that is, she had donated a kidney to a family member three years ago. The patient underwent controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and received a combined 2?mg GnRH-a and 1500?IU hCG ovulatory trigger. Estradiol (E₂) levels on the day of and after the trigger were 3800?pg/mL and 4001?pg/mL, respectively. Four days after the trigger, the patient began experiencing nausea, abdominal distention and dyspnea, and her blood testing revealed hemoconcentration (hemoglobin: 16.9?g/dL; hematocrit: 51.0%) and an elevated creatinine level (1.16?mg/dL). Fresh embryo transfer was deferred. The patient was admitted to the hospital for fluid monitoring and prophylactic anticoagulation. Following inpatient management, her hemoglobin, hematocrit and creatinine levels normalized. The current report highlights that the systemic effects of OHSS can be accentuated in patients with preexisting renal disease or a single kidney.     

Ovarian cyst torsion and extreme ovarian stimulation in a premenopausal patient treated with tamoxifen for ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast

Tamoxifen is increasingly used in adjuvant endocrine therapy for postsurgery breast cancer patients and in chemoprevention for high-risk patients. We present a case of bilateral ovarian cyst development with consecutive unilateral cyst torsion and elevated serum estradiol in a premenopausal patient treated with tamoxifen after breast-conserving surgery.     

Pregnancy despite ovarian insufficiency in a patient with breast cancer

Future fertility is a concern for many young breast cancer survivors. Secondary amenorrhea occurs frequently during or soon after oncologic treatment. Return of menstruation and serum biomarkers are not absolute predictors of future fertility. We report a case of a 28 year old gravida 0 with recurrent Stage IIB invasive ductal breast carcinoma who managed to conceive twice despite showing clinical and biochemical signs of decreased ovarian reserve following treatment with chemotherapy and radiation. This case illustrates the potential for fertility in a patient with breast cancer despite chemotherapy-related amenorrhea and undetectable anti-Müllerian hormone levels. It exemplifies the imprecise nature of all clinical tests used to predict future fertility in breast cancer patients post-treatment. It should remind all providers to be careful in basing recommendations for childbearing on these surrogate endpoints.     

Internal jugular vein thrombosis in a patient with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of right internal jugular vein thrombosis complicating ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: 1st Medical Faculty, Charles University and General Faculty Hospital, Prague. PATIENT: A 27-year-old primiparous woman undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF).     

Uterine metastases from breast cancer in a patient under tamoxifen therapy. Case report

The authors report a case of metastases of breast cancer confined to the uterus and cervical subserous leiomyoma in a postmenopausal woman under tamoxifen therapy for two years. After abnormal uterine bleeding, pathologic examination on biopsy of a cervical polyp revealed cervical involvement secondary to lobular breast cancer. The patient underwent total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Pathologic examination of the surgical specimen revealed both invasion of breast origin and of the cervix until the isthmus, endometrium and cervical subserous leiomyoma. The adnexa uteri were not affected. The possibility of uterine metastases in patients suffering from breast cancer, either undergoing tamoxifen therapy or not, always has to be considered.     

Aggressive endometrial carcinoma in a breast cancer patient treated with tamoxifen with normal transvaginal ultrasonography. Case report

Since tamoxifen therapy can induce endometrial disorders, surveillance schemes of women taking tamoxifen have been recommended. Transvaginal ultrasonography is a very sensitive test and therefore is often performed as a first-line screening test. We described a very atypical case of a high stage, high grade endometrial cancer associated with tamoxifen in a 64-year-old woman with a past history of breast cancer. This women was assessed yearly by ultrasonography and Pap smear. The cancer developed on a very thin endometrium and transvaginal ultrasonography failed to detect it. The patient remained asymptomatic up to the diagnosis. Normal endometrial cells in the Pap smear test were the only signs associated with this cancer. Surveillance strategies and significance of endometrial cells on the Pap smear are reviewed. In conclusion, TVUS can fail to detect cancers if the endometrial lining is not enlarged. In case of normal endometrial cells in the Pap smear, a careful evaluation should be performed.     

Polymyositis in a patient with recurring ovarian cancer and history of unrelated breast cancer

Background Polymyositis (PM) is an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy. Occasionally, it may present as a paraneoplastic syndrome and it is strongly associated with ovarian and weakly with breast cancer. We present here a case of a 60-year-old patient with sequential breast and ovarian (second primary) carcinomas followed by PM as a paraneoplastic disorder. Case report The patient had been diagnosed with stage I breast carcinoma 3 years ago and had been treated with conservative surgery followed by radiotherapy and six cycles of chemotherapy (CMF). One and a half year later an ovarian carcinoma was diagnosed for which the patient underwent abdominal hysterectomy oophorectomy and omentectomy. The pathological report characterized it as second primary. Adjuvant chemotherapy with carboplatin and taxol was administered. Fourteen months after the initial laparotomy, the patient was re-operated due to ovarian carcinoma recurrence which was involving all lesser pelvis organs. After a successful radical removal of the recurrence the patient developed a fully expressed PM. This case serves to remind that this disease can occur as a paraneoplastic disorder.     

Conservative management of a uterine tumor resembling an ovarian sex cord-stromal tumor

BACKGROUND: Sex cord-stromal tumors usually arise in the ovary but may arise in the uterus. Only 55 cases have been reported thus far. A hysterectomy is typically recommended. We report a case of uterine tumor resembling an ovarian sex cord-stromal tumor managed conservatively. CASE: A 32-year-old nulliparous woman presented with infertility secondary to suspected uterine leiomyomata. A laparoscopic resection of the presumed leiomyomata was performed, and the pathology showed a uterine tumor resembling an ovarian sex cord tumor. Because of the patient's desire to preserve fertility, a hysterectomy was not performed. She has been followed for the past 18 months, and there is no evidence of tumor recurrence. CONCLUSION: Resection of the tumor without hysterectomy and close follow-up may preserve fertility without compromising survival in patients with uterine tumors resembling ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors.     

Increased angiotensin-converting enzyme activity in a patient with severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To assess plasma angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity in a patient with severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Private, university-affiliated infertility practice. PATIENT(S): A 35-year-old woman with OHSS. INTERVENTION(S): Clomiphene citrate induction of ovulation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Plasma ACE activity. RESULT(S): The patient had a brain stem infarction as a result of thrombosis caused by severe OHSS. Plasma ACE activity was significantly elevated and persisted long after resolution of the OHSS. CONCLUSION(S): Elevated ACE activity appears to have been associated with the development of OHSS in this patient. Further study of the ovarian renin-angiotensin system in the development of OHSS is warranted.     

Uterine tumor resembling ovarian sex cord tumors in a patient using tamoxifen: report of a case and review of literature

Increasing number of uterine malignancies have been reported in breast cancer patients using tamoxifen. Most of these are endometrial adenocarcinomas. However, only a few cases of endometrial stromal sarcomas have been reported to be linked with tamoxifen usage. A 58-year-old postmenopausal women who had been using tamoxifen for 4 years after a surgery for breast cancer is presented with chronic pelvic pain. Preoperative investigations were indicative of a uterine myoma so that a standard total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy were performed. Postoperative histologic diagnosis was a uterine tumor resembling ovarian sex cord tumors, which is an exceedingly rare entity itself. The present case is the first designated diagnosis of this rare tumor, with a possible association of tamoxifen usage.