Evren UZUN, Hatice Kübra ŞİLE, İbrahim TAŞKUM, Fatma SUCU, Erkan ŞİMŞEK
Eastern Journal of Medicine (EJM) - 2026;31(4):846-852
High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC) is heterogeneous tumors in terms of morphology, genetics, and clinical presentation. The SET pattern (solid, pseudoendometrioid, and transitional-like) is associated with BRCA mutations and reflect distinct biological behavior. The present study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the relationship between SET and non-SET patterns, and their clinicopathological and genetic characteristics. The present study comprised 83 patients diagnosed with HGSC between the years 2010-2020. Patients with any SET pattern (SET-predominant or focal-SET) were compared with non-SET cases, and SET-predominant cases with non-SET cases after excluding focal-SET. A comprehensive comparison was conducted between the groups with respect to age, FIGO stage, regional lymph node involvement, regional and distant metastasis, ascites cytology, CA-125 level, and BRCA mutation status. The SET-predominant pattern was detected in 41.0% of cases while focal SET cases were 15.7%. Advanced FIGO stage (III-IV) was more prevalent in the non-SET group. Regional lymph node involvement was significantly high in the non-SET group compared to the SET-predominant group (41.7%vs.14.7%; p=0.017). Regional and distant metastasis rates were higher in the non-SET group. Median CA-125 levels tended to be lower in the SET-predominant group. The prevalence of the BRCA mutation was found to be significantly higher in the SET-predominant and SET-focal/predominant groups compared to the non-SET group (61.8% and 51.1%vs.2.8%, respectively; p=0.001). The SET pattern in HGSC is strongly associated with the presence of a BRCA mutation. The findings of this study indicate that the reporting of the SET pattern in routine pathological evaluation is clinically and biologically significant.
