External hemipelvectomy as treatment for solitary coxofemoral metastasis from endometrial carcinoma: case report and review of the literature.

The best treatment for bone metastasis from endometrial cancer as a presenting feature is unclear. We report the first case in the literature of coxofemoral metastases from endometrial cancer treated by surgical approach. Then, after a careful review of the literature, we discuss the best therapeutic option for this subset of patients. A 62-year-old woman with pain, erythema and swelling of the left leg and no history of postmenopausal bleeding underwent biopsy of the leg, which revealed a moderately differentiated endometrial carcinoma, infiltrating muscle and adipose tissues. There were no other sites of distal spread. A literature review was conducted by searching the items 'endometrial cancer' and 'bone metastasis' in MEDLINE and EnBase up to September 2010. The patient was treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, but she did not show a clinical response. By considering her prognosis and quality of life, we decided to perform for the first time a total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in addition to an external hemipelvectomy with a limb amputation and partial ilium and pubic preservation. Thirty months after the procedure the patient is still alive. No other similar results are present in the literature. Patients in good clinical condition with a single bone metastasis of endometrial cancer should be treated aggressively with surgery, as survival can be extended with an acceptable quality of life.