Fallopian Tube Neoplasia and Mimics

Our plain-English summary of Fallopian Tube Neoplasia and Mimics, by D.L. Kolin, M.R. Nucci (Surgical Pathology Clinics, 2019).

The study

• Authors: D.L. Kolin, M.R. Nucci
• Journal: Surgical Pathology Clinics
• Published: 2019;12(2):457-479
• Type of article: Review
• Cited by: 9 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

This review discusses select fallopian tube entities and their associated mimics. It first focuses on adenomatoid tumors, the most common benign tumor of the fallopian tube. High-grade serous carcinoma and its precursor, serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma, are then addressed. Finally, attention is turned to endometrioid proliferations of the fallopian tube. A diagnostic approach is provided for these lesions, with an emphasis on differential diagnoses and situations in which a benign lesion may appear malignant, and vice-versa.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In plain English

This article was a review written for pathologists, not a study of patients. The authors described how to tell several kinds of fallopian tube growths apart from lookalike conditions under the microscope. They covered three main topics. The first was adenomatoid tumors, which they described as the most common benign tumor of the fallopian tube, made of mesothelial cells and without risk of recurrence. The second was serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC), which they described as the precursor of many so-called ovarian high-grade serous carcinomas. The third was endometrioid growths of the tube. Malignant mesothelioma appeared only as one of several conditions that can be mistaken for an adenomatoid tumor. The authors wrote that, unlike an adenomatoid tumor, mesothelioma forms a large, infiltrative mass with more abnormal-looking cells and more cell division, and that some cases are associated with asbestos exposure. The article said nothing more about asbestos: it gave no fiber types, jobs, doses or rates. The authors stated that the review provides a diagnostic approach that emphasizes situations in which a benign lesion may look malignant, and the reverse.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: narrative review (diagnostic pathology review); no new patient data
• Who was studied: No study population; the article reviews types of fallopian tube lesions and their microscopic mimics
• Exposure: Asbestos is mentioned only once, as associated with some cases of malignant mesothelioma; no fiber types, products, jobs or doses are given
• Main results:
  • The authors described adenomatoid tumors as the most common benign tumor of the fallopian tube, usually solitary and found incidentally
  • The authors described adenomatoid tumors as being of mesothelial lineage, staining positive for WT-1, pan-keratin, D2-40 and calretinin
  • The authors described adenomatoid tumors as benign, with no risk of recurrence
  • In the review's description, malignant mesothelioma, a mimic of adenomatoid tumor, forms a large, infiltrative mass with increased cell atypia and mitotic activity
  • The authors described serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC) as the precursor of many so-called ovarian high-grade serous carcinomas
• The authors' conclusion: The authors presented the review as providing a diagnostic approach for these lesions, emphasizing differential diagnoses and situations where benign lesions may look malignant and vice versa

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Adenomatoid Tumor, Carcinoma.

Related studies

• Nongynecologic metastases to fallopian tube mucosa: a potential mimic of tubal high-grade serous carcinoma and benign tubal mucinous metaplasia or nonmucinous hyperplasia — J.T. Rabban, P. Vohra, et al. (2015)
• Development patterns in "adenomatoid lesions" of the fallopian tube — C.J. Pauerstein, J.D. Woodruff, et al. (1968)
• Clinically occult primary fallopian tube carcinoma presenting as a malignant pleural effusion — R. Hiensch, K. Meinhof, et al. (2017)
• Correlation of asbestos fiber burdens in fallopian tubes and ovarian tissue — D.S. Heller, R.E. Gordon, et al. (1999)
• TRAF7 mutations and immunohistochemical study of uterine adenomatoid tumor compared with malignant mesothelioma — H. Itami, T. Fujii, et al. (2021)
• Microcystic variant of localized malignant mesothelioma accompanying an adenomatoid tumor-like lesion — H. Umezu, K. Kuwata, et al. (2002)

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