Colorectal adenocarcinomas metastatic to the ovaries. A clinicopathological study of 41 cases

We report a series of 41 ovarian metastases from colorectal adenocarcinomas . The patients' mean age was 57.1 years at the time the metastasis was disc overed and 55.8 years at the rime the primary carcinoma Was found The diagn osis of the primary tumour was anterior to the metastasis in 25 cases (mean interval 21 months), simultaneous in 13 and posterior in 3 others. The met astases formed cystic and solid masses With a mean weight of 330 g. The end ometrioid architectural type was the most frequent, either pure (71 %, 29/4 1) or associated with a mucinous component (17 %, 7/41). Pore mucinous or o ther architectural types were rare. The endometrioid type Was characterized by glands with a garland pattern, and intraluminal dirty tumoral necrosis. Immunohistochemistry helped to distinguish the metastases of endometrioid type from ser-ors or endometrioid primary ovarian carcinoma; 71 % of the fo rmer were CK7(-)/CK20(+), and 100 % of the latter had the reverse profile C K7(+)/CK20(-).