Ovarian tumors associated with multiple endocrine neoplasias and related syndromes (Carney complex, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, von Hippel-Lindau disease, Cowden's disease).

Despite the relatively high prevalence of ovarian cancer (1% of American women will develop this disease in their lifetime) and recent developments in its molecular genetic understanding (several proto-oncogenes, such as AKT2 and cKRAS, and tumor suppressor genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, have been implicated), little is known about the presence of ovarian tumors and cancer in women already diagnosed with other familial multiple tumor syndromes. In this review, we focus on the possible association of ovarian tumors with multiple endocrine neoplasias (MENs) and their related syndromes, such as Carney complex (CNC), Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS), von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHLD), and Cowden's disease (CD). These conditions recently have been molecularly elucidated, and some of the genes responsible for them (including STK11/LKB1 and PTEN, the genes responsible for PJS and CD, respectively) have already been investigated in series of sporadic ovarian lesions, mostly carcinomas. A brief description of each disease is followed by a literature search for affected patients with ovarian tumors; we review our own experience with CNC patients and ovarian tumors. An association between PJS and CNC and ovarian neoplasms seems likely; carcinoids of the ovary may occur in patients with MEN 1. Only few patients with CD and VHLD have any ovarian pathology, but PTEN, the CD gene has been investigated in sporadic ovarian tumors. The aim of the present report is to alert clinicians who care for patients with MENs, CNC, PJS, VHLD, CD, and other syndromes for possible associations between various types of ovarian tumors and these conditions.