Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The relative ftequency of ovarian metastases from various organs reported in literature varies with geographic distribution. To our knowledge, there has been no comprehensive report on the subject of metastatic cancer to the ovary in Korea, so we tried to evaluate the clinical characteristics of them.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the files of the Department of Pathology from January 1988 to December 1997 in Seoul National University Hospital and obtained 38 cases diagnosed as metastatic cancer to ovary. We retrospectively reviewed the patients' records and evaluated the clinical characteristics, treatment modalities and clinical outcome.
RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 43.7 years (range: 19-63) and the most common symptom was pelvic pain (21.1%).
The origins of primary cancer were as follows in the order of frequency: stomach (65.8%), colon (13.2%), unknown (10.5%), hematologic malignancy (7.9%) and lung (2.6%). The most common pathologic findings were metastatic adenocarcinoma in 34 cases (89.5%), among which 14 cases (36.8%, 14/38) were Krukenberg tumor. The origins of primary cancer were diagnosed preoperatively in only 18 cases (47.4%). Eleven patients (28.9%) received surgery only, while 27 patients (71.1%) received both surgery and adjuvant chemotheiapy. For all patients, the median survival was 17 (range: 11-23) months and the overall 3-year survival rate (3YSR) was 28.6%. There were no significant differences in 3YSR according to primary tumor sites, status of ovarian involvement, pathologic finding, diagnostic time and treatment modalities.
CONCLUSION: Although the overall survival rate and clinical factors which might affect survival were similar to previous reports from Westem countries, the most common origin of primary cancer was different.
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