Figure 3. Histological and molecular genetic progression of ovarian endometrioid carcinoma.
Low-grade endometrioid carcinomas often arise from endometrioid borderline tumors, which in turn may arise from endometriosis. This step-wise histopathological progression is often accompanied by accumulation of mutations predicted to deregulate canonical Wnt signaling (usually CTNNB1) and/or PI3K/Pten signaling (PTEN, PIK3CA). TP53 mutations are usually observed in high-grade endometrioid carcinomas in the absence of Wnt and PI3K/Pten pathway defects.
