Small Cell Carcinoma of the Ovary with Hypercalcemia - Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia

Purpose: to evaluate clinical findings, diagnosis and prognosis of three recent hypercalcemic small cell ovarian carcinoma (HSCC) cases treated in our institution. Methods: information concerning epidemiological data and clinical evolution was obtained from the medical record review. Diagnosis was confirmed through histologic evaluation by our Pathology Department. Results: patients were, at diagnosis, 26, 36 and 38 years old. Tumor diameter ranged from 8.8 cm to 23 cm (mean = 14 cm). All patients presented hypercalcemia with total calcium serum levels of 8.9, 10.8 and 16.7 mEq/dL (NV = 8.8 to 10.2) and ionic calcium levels of 1.26, 1.27 and 1.21 mEq/dL respectively (NV = 1.12 to 1.23). All three patients were submitted to surgical treatment and chemotherapy with platinum-based regimens. In two patients the chemotherapy was adjuvant to the primary surgical treatment. Both are alive and disease-free after 2 and 18 months of follow-up. The other patient had initially the diagnosis of granulosa cell tumor, receiving chemotherapy only after tumor recurrence. Now she is alive with tumor 32 months after diagnosis. Conclusion: the main prognostic factors, in the literature and our experience, are the tumor stage at diagnosis, patient’s age, presence of hypercalcemia, large cells, tumor diameter, type of surgical treatment and delay of definitive therapy. The ideal treatment of the hypercalcemic small cell ovarian carcinoma remains unknown. Difficulties in determining a standard therapeutic strategy include rarity of the neoplasm, frequently inadequate initial staging, difficulties in histologic diagnosis and multiple therapeutic approaches.