Hypercalcemic Ovarian Carcinoma (Small Cell Carcinoma of the Ovary, Hypercalcemic Type (SCCOHT)): A Case Series and Review of Literature of a Rare Malignancy.

Abstract

Small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type (SCCOHT) is one of the rare and aggressive cancers occurring mainly in adolescents and young women. It accounts for less than 0.01% of all ovarian malignancies, with around 500 cases reported to date in the medical literature. It has been postulated that these cases could be due to genetic alterations, and in 2014, studies discovered that SCCOHT is characterized by both germline and somatic deleterious mutations in SMARCA4. In this case series, we report two cases diagnosed with carcinoma ovary and found to be having mutations in SMARCA4. The patients in this case series were relatively young and both had germline SMARCA4 mutation. The first patient had FIGO stage IV disease and the second patient had FIGO stage III disease. The first patient started with paclitaxel plus carboplatin and the second patient started with gemcitabine plus docetaxel. One patient succumbed to disease within 1 year and another patient is alive at present with progression of disease. SCCOHT is very aggressive and needs diagnosis and treatment at an early stage. Early diagnosis and proper treatment may prolong survival. There is a need for evaluation of the possible role of targeted systemic therapeutic options as the conventional regimens are rarely sufficient.