The Incidence and Extent of Mullerian Metaplasias in Ovarian Surface Epithelial Tumors

Objectives: Most ovarian surface epithelial tumors emerge from a background of Mullerian metaplasias. The incidence and extent of Mullerian metaplasias were examined in ovarian surface epithelial tumors. Methods: The incidence of Mullerian metaplasias was evaluated according to the presence of the metaplasias in all cases. The extent of these metaplastic changes was scored from (1+) to (4+) according to the extended area in all tumoral slide sections. Results: Ciliated cell metaplasia was found in 80.4 % of benign tumors, 100 % of borderline tumors and 93.3 % of malignant tumors. Eosinophilic cell metaplasia was present in 13 % of benign tumors, 70 % of borderline tumors and 93.3 % of malignant tumors. Clear cell metaplasia was observed in 17.4 % of benign tumors, 20 % of borderline tumors and 40 % of malignant tumors. While ciliated cell metaplasia was more frequent and extensive in benign tumors, eosinophilic and clear cell metaplasias were more frequent and extensive in borderline and malignant tumors (p<0.05). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the incidence and extent of Mullerian metaplasias in ovarian surface epithelial tumors may not be homogeneous. This should be taken into account when their biological significances and relation with tumorigenesis are investigated. [J Interdiscipl Histopathol 2012; 1(1.000): 16-22]