ABSTRACT
Objective: Despite the well-known relationship between endometriosis and the risk and prognosis of ovarian cancer, studies on the association the two are rare. Moreover, the impact of endometriosis on the prognosis of endometrial cancer has not been described in the literature. In this study, we attempted to investigate whether endometriosis had an effect on the prognosis of endometrial cancer. Material and Methods: This retrospective study was carried out on data from endometrial cancer patients between January 1996 and February 2016 at the Gynecological Oncology Department of Çukurova University Balcalı Hospital in Adana, Turkey. The pathological reports of 920 cases, operated after the diagnosis of endometrial cancer, were screened. Among these cases, 764 patients were found to be eligible for enrollment in this study. The patients were distributed into two groups based on the presence or absence of endometriosis in the pathological materials. The prognosis of the groups was compared using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: The endometriosis group was associated with younger age, less parity, more infertility, and a higher risk of simultaneous ovarian cancer. There were non-significant differences between the groups regarding pathological risk factors such as myometrial invasion, lymphovascular space involvement, lymph node positivity, and stage of progression. No recurrences or deaths were observed in the endometriosis group, although this observation was not statistically significant. Conclusion: It is suggested that endometriosis does not influence the prognosis of endometrial cancer. However, a conclusive assessment could not be made by this study alone and, therefore, further studies are needed and researchers are encouraged to focus more on this subject.