Neoplasms of the fallopian tube and broad ligament: a selective survey including historical perspective and emphasising recent developments

SummaryRecent contributions on selected aspects of the pathology of tubal and paratubal neoplasms are reviewed after a brief historical perspective. The most important, considering both frequency and clinical importance, are those pertaining to tubal carcinoma. These can be grouped as follows: (1) recognition that endometrioid carcinoma is the second most common carcinoma of the tube, after serous, and other variants of mullerian carcinoma are rare; (2) expansion of knowledge about the morphological spectrum of tubal endometrioid carcinoma; (3) modifications of the FIGO staging system; (4) heightened appreciation of the occasional origin of tubal carcinomas from the tubal fimbriae; (5) increased awareness of early carcinoma arising in patients with the BRCA mutation; (6) greater recognition of the propensity for non-tuberculous salpingitis with reactive atypia to mimic carcinoma. Brief consideration then follows of certain other tubal and paratubal neoplasms including those of the broad ligament, emphasising issues in differential diagnosis.