Liane Deligdisch
Mount Sinai School of Medicine, USA
Title: Early diagnosis of ovarian carcinoma: Is it possible?
Biography
Biography: Liane Deligdisch
Abstract
Ovarian Carcinoma (OC) is the most lethal gynecologic neoplasm due to late stage diagnosis. The rare cases of OC diagnosed in stage one have an 85% five year survival while all stage OC survival is 32%, due to the late diagnosis of mostly asymptomatic OC and to lack of reliable tumor markers in early stages. Recently other malignant tumors with systematic early detection and precursor stage identification have a favorable outcome. For OC morbidity and mortality statistics have not changed much over the past five decades. Our clinical-pathologic studies revealed that serous OC, the most numerous overall, represent a minority (less than 1/3) of stage one OC. Early diagnosed OC occur in younger patients with associated symptomatic pathology related to hyperestrogenism, endometriosis, endometrial hyperplasia and neoplasia, infertility and endometrioid, mucinous and clear cell carcinomas. Early diagnosed serous carcinomas, often asymptomatic, affect older patients, some BRCA positive, with personal and family histories of breast cancer undergo frequent medical examinations that may intercept aggressive OC in early stages. Prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy specimens revealed in statistically significant numbers preinvasive histological changes in ovaries and fallopian tube fimbriae. Morphometric (computerized image analysis), immunohistologic and molecular testing offering an insight into early carcinogenesis of OC. Ongoing studies of cancer stem cells in addition are aimed at identifying more diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for OC.