Hormone-resistant endometriosis following total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy: correlation with histology and steroid receptor content.

Endometriosis is rare after hysterectomy and oophorectomy for conditions unrelated to endometriosis. We present a case of delayed development of aggressive, hormone-resistant endometriosis temporally remote from hysterectomy and oophorectomy performed for chronic pelvic inflammatory disease. Treatment with depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate resulted in continued growth of the retroperitoneal endometrioma and necessitated posterior exenteration because of the endometrioma's location. Estrogen and progesterone receptor levels were measured to clarify why this woman's endometriosis was resistant to hormone therapy. Despite administration of large amounts of depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate, the progesterone receptor content was elevated while the estrogen receptor content was undetectable. Why this patient developed this particular type of aggressive endometriosis is unclear, but the lack of down-regulation of progesterone receptors in response to high-dose progestin therapy may indicate an alteration in basic regulatory and cellular processes within the endometriotic implant.