Primary squamous cell carcinoma associated with ovarian endometriosis: a case report and literature review

Primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) associated with ovarian endometriosis is extremely rare and has a poor prognosis due to insufficient information on the optimal postoperative treatment. Here, we describe the response of this tumor to the administration of paclitaxel–carboplatin. A 45-year-old woman diagnosed with stage IIIc primary SCC of the ovary associated with endometriosis underwent optimal surgery followed by six courses of chemotherapy at 3-week intervals with paclitaxel and carboplatin. She tolerated the chemotherapy well and remained without evidence of disease during first-line chemotherapy. Two months later, she was readmitted with recurrence of a pelvic tumor. Although she was treated with chemotherapy (weekly paclitaxel and chemotherapeutic regimen of irinotecan + mitomycin C), the tumor was resistant to second-line and third-line chemotherapy and she died 15 months after surgery. Paclitaxel–carboplatin administration may be an effective treatment for primary SCC of the ovary but further studies are required to investigate it true efficacy in the treatment of this disease.