Endometrial cancer in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic, and autoimmune disease. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, there is increased risk for site-specific malignancies. The authors present a case of endometrial cancer in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and a review of the current literature.

Case: The patient, a 60-year-old, postmenopausal Greek woman suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, presented with a complaint of abnormal uterine bleeding. She underwent total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy. Histopathology revealed endometrial cancer. The final diagnosis was Stage Ib endometrial cancer endometrioid type. She underwent postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy. She remains without evidence of disease, 16 months after initial surgery.

Conclusion: Although the present patient was diagnosed at early-stage disease and remains well 16 months after initial surgery, she needs a multidisciplinary treatment approach in order to achieve prolonged survival.