OVARIAN-CARCINOMA MUCOCELLULAR (KRUKENBER GS TUMOR) AND BREAST-CANCERMETASTASIS TO THE OVARY

Metastasis to the ovary has been estimated occur in 6 to 27.8% of all cancers. The wide variation resulting both from methodology and the sm all, often microscopic size of these secondary tumors. Many are mucoce llular tumors or Krukenberg's tumors (ovarian carcinoma mucocellular) considered by some to include all ovarian metastases and by others to be limited to metastasis of gastrointestinal or gastric cancer. The wo rk presented in this issue by Le Bouedec et al. concentrates on a homo geneous series of clinically diagnosed ovarian carcinoma muco- cellula r secondary to breast cancer. Manifestations of ovarian metastasis, pe lvic weight or ascitis, usually develop approximately 5 years after di agnosis of localized breast cancer and occur with other metastatic loc alizations in half the cases. Ovarian metastasis is particularly frequ ent from invasive lobular breast cancer; the primary tumoral type was invasive lobular carcinoma in 8 out to the 10 patients in the series r eported here by Le Bouedec et al., while this type is found in only 8% of breast cancers. This observation is further supported by data in t he literature demonstrating the unusual propagation routes of these in filtrating lobular cancers. The authors draw the reader's attention to the short median survival after diagnosis, 18 months, emphasizing the importance of careful follow-up after diagnosis and treatment of brea st cancer.