Clinicopathological characteristics of fallopian tube metastases from primary endometrial, cervical, and nongynecological malignancies: a single institutional experience

This study was aimed at investigating the clinicopathological characteristics of tubal metastases originating from primary endometrial, cervical, and nongynecological malignancies. We performed a 4-year retrospective study in which fallopian tube tissues obtained from 60 patients with tubal metastases were examined. In addition, we compared the number of tubal metastasis cases detected during periods of representative or whole tubal sampling. Twenty-three and 37 tubal metastases were found in cases examined after representative and whole tubal sampling techniques, respectively. Four cases of microscopic tubal metastases were detected via whole sampling, whereas no microscopic lesions were identified via representative sampling. The metastatic lesions originated from 14 uterine (10, endometrium; 4, cervix) and 46 nongynecological tumors (21, colon; 15, stomach; 5, biliary; 3, appendix; 2, breast). Tumors were most commonly involved in the muscle and lamina propria (n = 17). We noted distinctive histopathological features according to the extent of mural involvement: fibromyxoid stromal reaction and lymphohistiocytic infiltration in tumors involving the muscle and subepithelial connective tissue, architectural alterations of plicae in those involving the subepithelial connective tissue, and intraluminal mucinous and inflammatory exudate adjacent to intraepithelial tumors. We observed distinctive histopathological features associated with tubal metastases according to the extent of mural involvement. In addition, we demonstrated that the sampling method used in the routine microscopic examination of the fallopian tube affects the detection of tubal metastases. Our data support the notion that it is more logical to thoroughly sample both the fimbrial ends and the nonfimbriated portions of fallopian tubes for all salpingectomy specimens in the setting of cancer surgery.