The Malignant Potential of Ovarian Steroid Cell Tumors Revisited

Steroid cell tumors (SCTs) of the ovary are rare and understudied, and as such, uncertainties remain about their malignant potential, as well as clinicopathologic predictors of patient outcome. Based on a multi-institutional cohort of cases, we present findings from the largest study of SCT reported to date. Clinicopathologic data were documented on 115 cases of SCT that were assembled from 17 institutions. The median patient age was 55 years (range: 9 to 84). When measured, preoperative androgen levels were elevated in 84.2% (48/57) of patients. A total of 111 (96.5%) cases were classified as stage I (103 stage IA; 2 stage IB; 6 stage IC). The stage distribution for the remaining 4 patients was as follows: stage II (n = 1), III (n = 3; 1 IIIA, 1 IIIB, 1 IIIC). The median tumor size was 3 cm (range: 0.2 to 22). Cytologic atypia, microscopic tumor necrosis, microscopic tumor hemorrhage, and a mitotic index of >1 mitotic figure/10 high-power fields were present in 52% (60/115), 9.6% (11/115), 37% (43/115), and 19% (22/115) of cases, respectively. Of 115 patients, 7 (6.1%) recurred postexcision, 4 (3.5%) ultimately died of disease, and 10 (8.7%) either recurred, died of disease, or were advanced stage at presentation. The median duration to recurrence postresection was 33 months (range: 23 to 180). Four of the 7 recurrences were stage IA at baseline. Tumor size >4 cm, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage ≥IB, tumor necrosis, and tumor hemorrhage were each significantly associated with reduced recurrence-free survival in log-rank tests and univariable Cox models, with age older than 65 years being of marginal significance (hazard ratio HR: 5.4, 95% CI: 1.0-30.0, P = 0.05). Multivariable analyses suggested that FIGO stage ≥IB (HR: 27.5, 95% CI: 2.6-290.5), and age older than >65 years (HR: 21.8, 95% CI: 1.6-303.9) were the only parameters that were independently associated with recurrence. Cross-section analyses showed that tumor necrosis, tumor hemorrhage, and larger tumor size were significantly associated with a FIGO stage ≥IB status, which bolstered the conclusion that they are not independent predictors of recurrence. In summary, <10% of SCTs are clinically malignant, a substantially lower frequency than has previously been reported in the literature. Clinicopathologic predictors of patient outcomes that are prospectively applicable in practice could not be definitively established. Recurrences may occur many years (up to 15 y in this study) after primary resection, even in stage IA cases.