OVARIAN LYMPHOMA AND SEROUS CARCINOMA OF LOW MALIGNANT POTENTIAL ARISING IN THE SAME OVARY - A CASE-REPORT WITH LITERATURE-REVIEW OF 14 PRIMARY OVARIAN LYMPHOMAS

Ovarian lymphoma was incidentally identified in the ovary of a 31-year -old patient who underwent surgical exploration for an ovarian mass. T he 6-cm mass was a serous carcinoma of low malignant potential and was located in the same ovary with the lymphoma. The lymphomatous nodule measured 1.5 cm and was diagnosed as diffuse, large-cell lymphoma of B -cell phenotype. Careful search during surgery, as well as extensive p ostoperative workup, showed no evidence of spread of either tumor type beyond the ovary. In a small pilot study, we examined 37 randomly sel ected oophorectomy specimens to determine the possible occurrence of l ymphoid tissue in the ovary that could serve as substrate for developm ent of ovarian lymphoma. Variable numbers of lymphocytes were identifi ed in 34 of 37 ovaries, mainly in association with common ovarian lesi ons. This finding and the clinicopathologic data of 14 other reported cases of ovarian lymphoma provide evidence that lymphomas can arise pr imarily in the ovary.