The simultaneous presence of primary cancers in the endometrium and the ovary is relatively uncommon but not rare. The purpose of this study is to review the experience at Seoul National University Hospital with patients who have had carcinomas simultaneous involving the endometrium and the ovary.

We reviewed the Seoul National University Hospital Cancer Registry records and pathological reports, and those patients with simultaneous endometrial and ovarian involvement of the cancers were enrolled. The period of review lasted from 1997 to 2001. To confirm the diagnosis, the surgical reports and pathological reports were analyzed.

Eight patients fulfilled the criteria of simultaneous primary endometrial and ovarian cancers. Three patients had vaginal bleeding as the initial presenting symptom. Four patients had endometrioid carcinoma in both organs. When endometrial and ovarian cancers were independently staged, it was found that seven patients had stage I endometrial carcinoma (87.5%), and 4 patients (50%) had stage I ovarian carcinoma. Surgery and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy were the most common treatment employed (7 patients), and the only one patient received postoperative irradiation.

The relatively more favorable prognosis of simultaneous primary endometrial and ovarian cancers may be due to the early detection of disease. In our study, the stage of the ovarian cancer determined the prognosis.