Prognostic role of histologic features in low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma: association of invasion and desmoplasia patterns with tumor recurrence

Low-grade serous carcinoma is a rare type of ovarian cancer, which is characterized with an indolent course, long-term survival, and relative resistance to chemotherapy. Although various patterns of destructive invasion have been described, data on the crosstalk between the morphological characteristics of this tumor and the clinical course are presented only in a few studies. OBJECTIVE: To reveal the crosstalk between patterns of invasion, stromal desmoplasia, and relapse-free survival in patients with low grade serous carcinoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was performed on 26 samples of ovarian low grade serous carcinomas obtained from patients aged 30 to 83 years. All slides were reviewed by 2 gynecological pathologists to identify macropapillary and micropapillary invasion patterns, as well as the presence of a desmoplastic stromal reaction in the tumor. Survival was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: =4). Tumor recurrence was detected in 16% of cases with macropapillary pattern, in 75% of cases with micropapillary pattern and in 100% of cases in the group with desmoplasia. The probability of recurrence depending on the invasion pattern using the Kaplan-Meier method was higher in the absence of the macropapillary invasion variant and in the presence of the micropapillary pattern. CONCLUSION: The results of the study revealed a crosstalk between specific morphological characteristics and the clinical course of ovarian low grade serous carcinoma. The micropapillary pattern was associated with an increased risk of recurrence, which emphasizes the importance of scrutinized histological analysis of the tumor for predicting disease outcomes.