Pathological characteristics of ovarian cancer occurring after hysterectomy

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the current study was to examine the pathological characteristics of ovarian cancer occurring in women with previous hysterectomy. METHODS: Newly diagnosed cases of ovarian primary epithelial or primary peritoneal cancer, operated on in our department between January 2000 and December 2002, were included in this retrospective study. The patients were divided into two groups, group I included eight patients with ovarian cancer and previous hysterectomy, and group II comprised 70 patients with ovarian or primary peritoneal cancer, but without previous hysterectomy. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the eight patients with ovarian cancer and previous hysterectomy and the 70 patients without previous hysterectomy considering the patients' characteristics. Conversely, there was a difference between the two study groups regarding the histology of the tumor, its grade and the stage of the disease. All patients with ovarian cancer and previous hysterectomy had poorly differentiated mixed epithelial or undifferentiated tumors. Nevertheless, only 25% of these patients were diagnosed in Stage IIIC. CONCLUSION: It seems that besides reducing the risk of further ovarian cancer, hysterectomy also causes a change in the main histological sub-group of ovarian cancer, that develops in patients with previous hysterectomy. The greatest protective effect was observed for serous ovarian tumors.