Incidental Diagnosis of Serous Tubal Intraepithelial Carcinoma During Infertility Treatment: A Case Report
Serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC) represents a precursor lesion to high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma and is typically identified during prophylactic surgery in BRCA mutation carriers. To the best of our knowledge, we report the first case of STIC incidentally diagnosed during infertility treatment. A 43-year-old nulligravid woman with four years of primary infertility underwent laparoscopic left salpingectomy for hydrosalpinx prior to embryo transfer. Histopathological examination unexpectedly revealed STIC, confirmed by characteristic morphological features and immunohistochemical markers, including strong nuclear p53 expression and elevated Ki-67 index. The patient declined BRCA genetic testing and prophylactic surgical interventions, opting to continue fertility treatment under enhanced surveillance. This unprecedented case emphasizes the critical importance of comprehensive histopathological evaluation of surgically resected fallopian tubes, even when removed for benign reproductive indications, and highlights the complex decision-making process regarding genetic counseling, surveillance strategies, and fertility preservation in reproductive-aged women with incidentally diagnosed STIC.
Authors
- Tomomoto Ishikawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2596-3036)
- Tsuyoshi Takiuchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0605-5219)
- Katsumi Doi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5989-9936)
- Yasuhiro Ohara
Institutions
- Osaka Nishi Clinic (JP)
- The University of Osaka (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Cureus
- Published
- 2025-11-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.96355
- Primary Topic
- Ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00