{"paper_id":"559e7df2-4bf6-452f-bce7-5580fdf4ee1a","body_text":"Abstract\nWe review whether endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer is a specific entity compared with ovarian cancer not associated with endometriosis, with respect to epidemiology, natural history, and clinical diagnosis; we present a review of the English-language literature for ovarian cancer in endometriosis with respect to these three features. A recent prospective study in Japan directly showed that, during a follow-up of up to 17 years of an ovarian endometrioma cohort (n = 6398), 46 incident ovarian cancers were identified, showing that the ovarian cancer risk was significantly elevated in patients with ovarian endometrioma (standardized incidence ratio [SIR], 8.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.12 to 15.3). Advancing age (>40 years) and the size of the endometriomas (>9 cm) were independent predictors of the development of ovarian cancer among the women with ovarian endometrioma. Although some endometriosis lesions may predispose to clear cell carcinoma (CCC) and endometrioid adenocarcinoma (EAC) of the ovary, both of these cancers differ from the other histological types with respect to their clinical characteristics and carcinogenesis. In patients with endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer, benign-appearing ovarian masses are typically present several years before the diagnosis of the cancer. A slightly elevated carbohydrate antigen [CA] 125 level is also typically present many years before the diagnosis in these patients. However, serous-type ovarian cancer may exhibit a rapid progression possibly through de-novo carcinogenesis. Ovarian endometrioma could be viewed as a neoplastic process, particularly in perimenopausal women. Understanding the mechanisms of the development of endometriosis and elucidating its pathogenesis and pathophysiology are intrinsic to the prevention of endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer and the search for effective therapies.\nSimilar content being viewed by others\nReferences\nMenon U, Talaat A, Jeyarajah AR, et al. (1999) Ultrasound assessment of ovarian cancer risk in postmenopausal women with CA125 elevation. Br J Cancer 80:1644–1647\nMenon U, Jacobs IJ (2000) Recent developments in ovarian cancer screening. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol 12:39–42\nSchwartz PE (2001) Nongenetic screening of ovarian malignancies. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am 28:637–651\nAnderiesz C, Quinn MA (2003) Screening for ovarian cancer. Med J Aust 178:655–656\nModugno F (2003) Ovarian Cancer and High-Risk Women Symposium Presenters. Ovarian cancer and high-risk women — implications for prevention, screening, and early detection. 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Int J Clin Oncol 14, 378–382 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10147-009-0931-2\nReceived:\nPublished:\nIssue date:\nDOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10147-009-0931-2","source_license":"CC0","license_restricted":false}