Primary small cell ovarian cancer of pulmonary type: A case report

Abstract

Background: Primary small cell ovarian cancer of pulmonary type (SCCOPT) is a rare aggressive ovarian tumour with an incidence of <1%, usually occurring in perimenopausal or postmenopausal women and known to have a poor prognosis. Current treatment is platinum based but has not resulted in long term survival. Case presentation: We report a case of a 77-year old Caucasian woman who presented initially with a one-week history of abdominal discomfort with raised inflammatory markers and Ca125 of 50 μ/ml. Calcium levels were normal. She underwent primary debulking surgery, and histology showed a tumour comprising areas of classical small-cell carcinoma morphology. 6 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy with carboplatin was offered. Relapsed/progressive disease was noted after 3 months of chemotherapy and patient died 7 months after treatment completion. Conclusions: SCCOPT is a rare aggressive malignancy with majority of the women having an overall survival of 2 years. There is no clear consensus for the diagnosis and optimal treatment. Keywords: Small cell ovarian cancer of pulmonary type, Small cell ovarian cancer of pulmonary type diagnosis, Small cell ovarian cancer of pulmonary type pathology, Small cell ovarian cancer of pulmonary type treatment