A 15-year comprehensive literature review of 99 primary ovarian carcinoid tumors

Abstract

Objective: Primary ovarian carcinoids are neuroendocrine tumors, representing up to 1% of all ovarian tumors. In this paper, the authors aimed at analyzing the clinical and pathological aspects of all recently published ovarian carcinoid, providing new correlations regarding them. Mechanism: The authors have reviewed all cases of primary ovarian carcinoid reported in international journals since 2005 to date. A total of 99 cases published in 68 articles have been found and analyzed. Findings in brief: Our results up to 29.31% of patients presented with carcinoid heart disease, and 17.24% had an abdominal mass, which caused them to present to the physician. Patients presenting with metastases had more frequently the insular subtype (33.33%) and had similar median age as those without metastases. A teratoma component was noticed in 58.9% of cases and was also associated with the insular pattern of carcinoid. To our best knowledge, this paper includes the largest review of primary ovarian carcinoid to date. Conclusions: The incidence of carcinoid heart disease might have been underestimated up to this moment, thus, requiring further imagistic investigations of patients presenting with these symptoms. Additionally, the insular variant was most frequently associated with the presence of both teratoma (52.94%) and metastases (33.33%), although previous reports have noticed a higher incidence of teratoma in the mucinous variant. In our opinion, these apparently divergent results warrant further studies of this rare subtype of ovarian tumor.

A Case of Primary Insular Ovarian Carcinoid Tumor with Hyperandrogenism and Carcinoid Heart Disease

“…Our patient was younger, aged 40 years at the time of diagnosis. About one-third of the patients were found to have carcinoid heart disease on presentation, as seen in our case [ 12 ]. It was reported that the severity of cardiac involvement is proportionally related to the degree of elevation of serum 5-HIAA [ 13 ].…”

“…In a review of the literature over 15 years by Georgescu et al [ 12 ], 99 cases of primary ovarian carcinoid tumors were reported. The average age was 53 years old.…”

Fortuitously detected primary ovarian carcinoid tumor: A case report

“…[1] Patients with primary ovarian carcinoids may present with no or nonspecific symptoms. Georgescu et al [7] analyzed 99 cases of primary ovarian carcinoids, described in 68 published articles and found that approximately 70% of the patients were symptomatic. In particular, the presenting symptoms were carcinoid heart disease in 29%, an abdominal mass in 17%, constipation in 12%, and abnormal uterine bleeding in 7%.…”

“…In particular, the presenting symptoms were carcinoid heart disease in 29%, an abdominal mass in 17%, constipation in 12%, and abnormal uterine bleeding in 7%. [7] Matsuda et al [8] reported a case of ovarian strumal carcinoids, presenting as constipation, induced by the peptide YY hormone, which was secreted by the tumor, resulting in impaired intestinal motility. Primary ovarian carcinoids are typically as adnexal masses during physical examination or ultrasonography.…”

Primitive neuroectodermal tumors of the ovary: a multidecade review of the scientific literature

“…However, the IHC tests show positivity for EMA and CKs, but no reactivity for CD99 [ 30 , 44 ]. An immature teratoma with atypical neural tissue can be differentiated from PNETs by the lack of confluent growth of the neuroepithelium [ 45 ]. A cPNET with an ependymoma-like histology needs to be differentiated from a low-grade serous carcinoma, which can also show papillae lined by atypical cells.…”