Endometrial cancer after endometrial ablation: systematic review of medical literature

Mariam M AlHilli; Matthew R Hopkins; Abimbola O Famuyide

doi:10.1016/j.jmig.2011.02.004

Endometrial cancer after endometrial ablation: systematic review of medical literature

J Minim Invasive Gynecol. 2011 May-Jun;18(3):393-400. doi: 10.1016/j.jmig.2011.02.004.

Authors

Mariam M AlHilli¹, Matthew R Hopkins, Abimbola O Famuyide

Affiliation

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.

PMID: 21545966
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmig.2011.02.004

Abstract

Data are limited regarding the occurrence of endometrial cancer after endometrial ablation (EA). A systematic review of the English-language medical literature was performed of cases of endometrial cancer after EA. This review included the present case report involving a 47-year-old woman with a diagnosis of stage IA, grade 1 endometrial adenocarcinoma 5 years after radiofrequency EA. The systematic literature review identified 22 endometrial cancer cases occurring after EA. Most (76.5%) were stage I at diagnosis. Time to endometrial cancer diagnosis ranged from 2 weeks to 10 years following EA. All but 3 cases involved patients with known endometrial cancer risk factors. To our knowledge, the present case is the first reported occurrence of endometrial cancer after radiofrequency EA. Endometrial cancer has been detected after EA at variable intervals. Occurrence of endometrial cancer after EA is low, yet it continues to be difficult to quantify through retrospective analyses.

Publication types

Case Reports
Review
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Carcinoma, Endometrioid / diagnosis*
Carcinoma, Endometrioid / epidemiology
Endometrial Ablation Techniques*
Endometrial Neoplasms / diagnosis*
Endometrial Neoplasms / epidemiology
Endometrium / surgery*
Female
Humans
Incidence
Menorrhagia / surgery*
Middle Aged
Risk Factors