A disseminated peritoneal melanosis in a 71-year-old Ethiopian woman diagnosed with ovarian mucinous adenocarcinoma: Case report

Background:Peritoneal melanosis is a benign disease that can be encountered during laparotomy. We are reporting this extremely rare condition with less than 20 cases reported in the world literature and also in Ethiopia. This condition is usually incidental finding during laparotomy and is mainly associated with ovarian lesions. Case: A 71-year-old woman presented to gynecology out-patient department with abdominal swelling of 1-year duration. Abdominopelvic mass with gross ascites detected, likely arising from the ovary. She then underwent a unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy followed by total abdominal hysterectomy and unilateral salpingooophorectomy with a high index of an advanced ovarian cancer. The intraoperative findings showed a diffuse dark pigmentation involving the greater omentum, the visceral peritoneum, and serosa of the large and small bowel segments. The histopathology revealed a moderately differentiated mucinous adenocarcinoma with benign peritoneal melanosis. With this diagnosis she completed adjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusion: Though occurrence of peritoneal melanosis with ovarian adenocarcinoma doesn’t suggest different treatment or prognosis. We recommend surgeons during laparotomy to be aware of this benign condition during laparotomy. Little is known about this rare condition therefore, women with peritoneal melanosis should be followed closely for the long-term outcome