Primary carcinoma of fallopian tube after prolonged retention of Lippes loop
Sanyal, C.; Pahari, K.; Sharma, M.
Journal of the Indian Medical Association 96(1): 25-26
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5847 PMID: 9601189 Document Number: 276511
Although a small number of uterine malignancies have been reported in long-term IUD users, a cause-effect relationship is difficult to establish. This article presents a case of primary carcinoma of the fallopian tubes with a coexisting Lippes loop. The 50-year-old patient presented to Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital (Calcutta, India) 5 years after menopause with complaints of occasional vaginal bleeding for the past 2 months. A Lippes loop had been inserted 20 years earlier, with no follow-up after the first year of use. Total hysterectomy was performed. Gross cut-section revealed the Lippes loop inside the uterine cavity. The distal parts of both fallopian tubes showed multiple small cystic spaces filled with fluid, with features of papillary adenocarcinoma arising from mucosa infiltrating the wall and projecting into the lumen. The distorted tubes also showed features of hydrosalpinx follicularis. Although the ovaries were adherent to the tubes, they were not malignant. The atrophic endometritis present in this case suggests that carcinoma was preceded by salpingitis, in turn possibly initiated by prolonged IUD retention.