MESENTERIC AND MESOCOLIC LYMPH-NODE METASTASES FROM OVARIAN-CARCINOMA- A CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

The aim of this study was to analyze the clinicopathological features of ovarian carcinomas with metastases to mesenteric or mesocolic lymph nodes. Thirty patients with primary ovarian carcinomas metastatic to the bowel were analyzed for the extent of bowel infiltration, lymph no de involvement, lymphatic channel involvement, and the number of exami ned lymph nodes. Metastases to mesenteric or mesocolic lymph nodes wer e found in 20 of the 30 patients. Metastases to mesenteric/mesocolic l ymph nodes were more frequently associated with lymph vascular invasio n at the site of the bowel implants and metastatic involvement of mult iple bowel segments compared to mesenteric/mesocolic node-negative cas es (P < 0.04). There was no significant difference between the mesente ric/mesocolic node-positive and node-negative patients with regard to FIGO stage, histologic type, tumor grade, residual tumor after surgery , gross pattern of bowel metastases, and involvement of retroperitonea l lymph nodes. While the presence of mesenteric/mesocolic lymph node m etastases tended to be associated with shorter survival, this was not statistically significant. The prognostic and putative therapeutic imp ortance of positive mesenteric/mesocolic lymph nodes in ovarian carcin oma awaits further evaluation in a larger number of cases.