Ovarian carcinosarcomas associated with prolonged use of tamoxifen: case reports.

BACKGROUND

Recent studies have indicated that the risk associated with tamoxifen may be substantially higher for uterine malignant mixed müllerian tumors and uterine sarcomas.

CASE

We present 2 cases of ovarian carcinosarcomas in patients with a personal history of breast carcinoma who were treated for a prolonged period with tamoxifen.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, these 2 cases are the first to describe the possible association between ovarian carcinosarcomas and previous personal and familial history of breast carcinoma and\or prolonged use of tamoxifen. These cases may suggest that like in the uterus, tamoxifen has a possible delayed effect, which might be responsible for the formation of aggressive tumors of unclear pathogenesis in the ovaries.