Endometriosis in menopause: a single institution experience

Matteo Morotti, Valentino Remorgida, Pier Luigi Venturini, Venturini PL, Simone Ferrero
Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2012 · vol. 286(6) , pp. 1571–1575 · doi:10.1007/s00404-012-2473-5 · PMID:22825693 · W2163849184
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⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite+body, 2026-06-28 ⓘ

This study analyzed 72 postmenopausal women with endometriosis, finding the ovary to be the most frequent location and observing higher proportions of epithelium, stroma, and hemorrhage in lesions with concomitant cancers.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 · read from full text ⓘ

This retrospective single-institution study examined clinical characteristics, lesion location and extension, and histopathological features of endometriosis in 72 postmenopausal women who underwent surgery between 1998 and 2010. The most common lesion location was the ovary, and among women with endometriomas, a subset showed metaplasia, hyperplasia, atypia, and endometrioid carcinoma arising in endometriosis; additionally, lesion composition (epithelium, stroma, and hemorrhage) was higher when patients had concomitant endometrial or ovarian cancer. The authors note a key limitation of the work being that it is based on surgically treated cases, and only two patients were using hormone replacement therapy at the time of surgery, limiting generalizability about hormone influences. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — specifically describing postmenopausal endometriosis clinical and histopathological patterns in 72 surgically managed women.

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Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to present the clinical characteristics of a series of postmenopausal women with endometriosis and to evaluate the preferential location, extension and histopathological features of the lesions.MethodsWe retrospectively examined the clinical records of 72 postmenopausal women with endometriosis who underwent surgery between January 1998 and December 2010.ResultsThe median age of patients at the time of surgery was 58.5 years. Eleven patients (15.3%) had previous history of endometriosis and five patients had previously undergone surgery for this reason. Only two patients included in the study were using hormone replacement therapy at the time of surgery. The most frequent location of endometriotic lesions was the ovary and among patients with endometriomas, 35% (20/57) had different grades of metaplasia, hyperplasia, atypia and endometrioid carcinoma arising in endometriosis. The proportions of epithelium, stroma and hemorrhage in endometriotic lesions were higher in patients with concomitant endometrial or ovarian cancer.ConclusionsEndometriosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of postmenopausal cystic lesions of the ovary. The administration of exogenous estrogen is not a prerequisite for the presence of endometriosis in postmenopausal women, and histological signs of functionally active lesions were also observed in the absence of exogenous hormone intake.
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Abstract

Purpose This study aims to present the clinical characteristics of a series of postmenopausal women with endometriosis and to evaluate the preferential location, extension and histopathological features of the lesions.

Methods

We retrospectively examined the clinical records of 72 postmenopausal women with endometriosis who underwent surgery between January 1998 and December 2010.

Results

The median age of patients at the time of surgery was 58.5 years. Eleven patients (15.3 %) had previous history of endometriosis and five patients had previously undergone surgery for this reason. Only two patients included in the study were using hormone replacement therapy at the time of surgery. The most frequent location of endometriotic lesions was the ovary and among patients with endometriomas, 35 % (20/57) had different grades of metaplasia, hyperplasia, atypia and endometrioid carcinoma arising in endometriosis. The proportions of epithelium, stroma and hemorrhage in endometriotic lesions were higher in patients with concomitant endometrial or ovarian cancer.

Conclusions

Endometriosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of postmenopausal cystic lesions of the ovary. The administration of exogenous estrogen is not a prerequisite for the presence of endometriosis in postmenopausal women, and histological signs of functionally active lesions were also observed in the absence of exogenous hormone intake. Similar content being viewed by others

References

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endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Ovarian Neoplasms Peritoneal Neoplasms Postmenopause Abdominal Pain Abdominal Pain Aged Appendiceal Neoplasms Appendiceal Neoplasms Appendiceal Neoplasms Asymptomatic Diseases Carcinoma Carcinoma Carcinoma Chi-Square Distribution Diagnosis, Differential Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Estrogen Replacement Therapy

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