Objective: The objective of this study was to report the incidence of primary fallopian tube carcinoma (PFTC) in the United States population and to describe associated demographic and clinical factors.
Methods: A total of 3051 PFTC cases diagnosed from 1998 to 2003, reported from population-based cancer registries, were analyzed. Registries contributing data represent 83.1% of the U.S. population. Data are presented by age, race/ethnicity, U.S. census region, stage, histology, grade, and laterality. Trends in incidence over time from 1998 to 2003 are also presented.
Results: The incidence rate was 0.41 per 100,000 women from 1998 to 2003. White, non-Hispanic women and women aged 60-79 had the highest incidence rates (p<0.0001). The majority (88%) of PFTCs were adenocarcinomas; serous adenocarcinomas accounted for 44% and endometrioid adenocarcinomas for 19% of adenocarcinoma diagnoses. Essentially half (49.9%) of PFTCs were poorly differentiated; 89% were unilateral at diagnosis. Stage at diagnosis was fairly evenly distributed among localized (36%), regional (30%), and distant (32%). Overall, rates of PFTC remained stable over time. Among women aged 65-69, incidence rates increased significantly by 3.8% per year from 1998 to 2003 (p<0.05).
Conclusions: This report provides characteristics of PFTC using the largest number of cases assembled in one study to date. Although the demographic characteristics of PFTC are similar to those of ovarian cancer, stage at diagnosis and the stable trend observed in PFTC are in contrast to ovarian cancer. Future studies should focus on examining the increasing trend of PFTC among 65- to 69-year-old women.