Clinicopathologic characteristics and prognostic factors of primary peritoneal carcinoma / 대한산부인과학회지

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognostic factors of primary peritoneal carcinoma (PPC). METHODS: Clinicopathologic variables were obtained by examining the medical records of patients with PPC who were diagnosed and treated at our institute, between January 1996 and December 2005. To find prognostic factors, the association of clinicopathologic variables with survival was evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: All patients had advanced-stage tumors. Residual tumor was smaller than 1 cm in 12 patients and was equal or larger than 1 cm in nine patients. The response rate to adjuvant chemotherapy was 47.6%. The median progression-free survival was eight months (range 1~95) and the median overall survival was 14 months (range 1~99). In univariate analysis, stage, the response to adjuvant chemotherapy, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy were associated with survival. However, in multivariate analysis, no variables were associated with survival. CONCLUSION: In spite of aggressive treatments, patients with PPC had poor prognosis. No prognostic factors were identified in this study.

A case of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma of vulva / 부인종양

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a malignant tumor of mesenchymal origin. It is the most common soft tissue sarcoma of childhood and approximately 250 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. The most common sites for rhabdomyosarcoma are the head and neck (parameningeal, orbit, paryngeal etc.), the extremities, and the genitourinary tract. Histologically, it can be classified into embryonal, alveolar, pleomorphic, and undifferentiated. Alveolar subtype accounts for approximately 25%. Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma is very rare and its prognosis is very poor. Especially, cases that reported from vulva are extremely rare, and informations regarding treatment and prognosis are not standardized. We present a case of a girl with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma of vulva with a review of a literature.