Case report - Metastatic mucinous ovarian adenocarcinoma

The difference between primary and secondary (metastatic) ovarian mucinous tumors can be clear, but there are still cases where making the correct diagnosis can be complicated. Special emphasis is on cases in which the correct diagnosis and the primary origin of the disease have an impact on the further course of treatment. In one of them, ovarian metastases may be misdiagnosed as a primary ovarian tumor because of pathologic features that may simulate a primary ovarian tumor. In the majority of such cases, further diagnostic work-up reveals a primary tumor elsewhere. However, in rare cases, the primary tumor may be undetected at the time of diagnosis and will only become clinically manifest and viable in the further course of the disease. According to current knowledge, the most reliable approach to the diagnosis of mucinous ovarian tumors combines macroscopic, microscopic and immunohistochemical evaluation in combination with close clinical-pathological correlation. Despite all efforts, there are still rare cases in which the diagnosis cannot be established with certainty and the exact conclusion about the primary or metastatic origin of the tumor.