Epithelial Ovarian Cancer in Very Young Women (<40 Years): A Comparison to the General Population
Document Type
Conference Proceeding - Restricted Access
Publication Date
5-9-2025
Abstract
While hereditary and low grade epithelial ovarian cancers (EOC) affect patients at a younger age than non-hereditary and high-grade EOC, respectively, there is little available information characterizing EOC specifically diagnosed in patients at a very young age (< 40 years old). This study describes characteristics of very young patients, defined as under 40 years of age, with an EOC diagnosis, and compares them to patients in the general population, as described in the literature.
After IRB approval was obtained, patients with an epithelial ovarian, tubal, or peritoneal cancer (simplified as "ovarian cancer" or EOC in this study) diagnosis who received care between January 2010 to December 2022 at a single institution were identified by diagnosis code. Demographic, histologic, genetic, and clinical characteristics were abstracted for each patient who met inclusion criteria.
Of the 24 patients meeting inclusion criteria, most (42%) had a diagnosis of high-grade serous cancer (HGSC), with low-grade serous carcinoma (LGSC) representing the 2nd most common histology (21%). Most patients (63%) were diagnosed at an advanced stage (III or IV). Germline BRCA mutations were common in this population (25%), and while a few other germline mutations were identified, a large proportion (42%) of this cohort had no identifiable pathogenic mutation. With a median follow-up interval of 6.6 years, patients in our cohort had a median progression free survival (PFS) of 4.7 years. Most patients (65%) were in remission at the time of their most recent documented follow-up.
Despite the very young age at diagnosis, HGSC was still the most prevalent histological subtype of ovarian cancer in this cohort. Germline homologous recombination mutations were surprisingly reported at similar prevalence as the general population. Even in this very young cohort, advanced stage disease comprised the majority of cases, but overall prognosis was significantly better than reported in the literature in all-comers with EOC.
Recommended Citation
Dodd J, Leffler L, Zakhour M. Epithelial ovarian cancer in very young women (<40 years): A comparison to the general population. Presented at: Research Day Corewell Health West; 2025 May 9; Grand Rapids, MI.
Comments
2025 Research Day Corewell Health West, Grand Rapids, MI, May 9, 2025. Abstract 1704