Adenocarcinoma of the endometrium after endometrial ablation

Background: Endometrial ablation is a relatively new technique for treating abnormal uterine bleeding not associated with malignancy. Long-term outcome data after endometrial ablation are limited, and incidence of endometrial adenocarcinoma after ablation is unknown. Case: A 55-year-old black woman who had endometrial ablation for abnormal uterine bleeding after excluding uterine cancer presented 5 years later with similar symptoms and a histologic diagnosis of well-differentiated adenocarcinoma of the uterus. She refused surgery and had radiation treatment for probable stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma. Conclusion: It is unlikely in this high-risk patient that the endometrial ablation masked an undetected malignancy or delayed the diagnosis. Given the interval, the adenocarcinoma might have occurred de novo. (C) 2000 by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.