Title: Appendectomy for mucinous ovarian tumors: Is it really necessary?
Abstract: Objectives: Recent literature suggests that the appendix is usually affected in cases of mucinous ovarian carcinomas and that primary appendiceal adenocarcinoma commonly spreads to the ovary. Therefore, the objective of our study is to investigate the frequency of appendiceal pathology in women undergoing surgery for mucinous ovarian tumors. Methods: A retrospective analysis of medical records of patients who underwent appendectomy for a suspicious pelvic tumor which was finally diagnosed as mucinous adenocarcinoma, mucinous borderline rumor, or mucinous cystadenoma between 1994 and 2014. Results: Ninety-six patients were included in the study. Of the 96 patients with mucinous ovarian tumors, 42 (43.8%) were benign, 35 (36.4%) had low malignancy potential, 16 (16.6%) were mucinous cystadenocarcinomas, and 3 (3.2%) patients were diagnosed as having metastatic appendiceal carcinoma involving the ovary. No evidence of metastasis to the appendix was found in the cases with ovarian borderline tumor. Of 96 appendectomies performed, only 1 (1%) metastatic mucinous appendiceal tumor of ovarian origin was discovered. At the time of surgery, in the cases of malignancies, no gross appendiceal abnormalities were identified. Conclusions: Although only 3 ovarian tumors (3.2%) were metastatic from primary appendiceal adenocarcinoma, our view is that appendectomy during surgery for apparent early-stage mucinous ovarian cancer is warranted. Because there was no infiltration of the appendix in the case of mucinous ovarian borderline tumors, we believe that appendectomy could have been omitted during surgical staging. Also, our data suggest that the macroscopic appearance of the appendix during surgery does not always indicate the underlying pathology and should not be used as a criterion for the appendectomy.
Publication Year: 2016
Publication Date: 2016-06-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 1
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