Metastatic Ovarian Tumors and Clinical Management
Summary
Metastatic ovarian tumours represent a significant clinical challenge, accounting for up to a quarter of all ovarian malignancies. They arise most frequently from gastrointestinal primaries—colorectal, gastric and appendiceal cancers—as well as from breast and endometrial sites. Distinguishing secondary ovarian deposits from primary ovarian neoplasms is critical, since management pathways diverge substantially. Clinical assessment typically combines imaging modalities, tumour markers and histopathological evaluation, supported by immunohistochemical staining to identify lineage-specific antigens. Advanced molecular profiling has begun to refine the diagnostic algorithm, offering insight into the origin of cancers of unknown primary. Therapeutic strategies centre on cytoreductive surgery aiming to remove macroscopic disease, followed by systemic chemotherapy tailored to the primary tumour type. In selected patients, oophorectomy can yield meaningful symptom relief and potential survival benefit, particularly when complete resection is achievable and extra-ovarian disease is limited. Novel biopsy techniques and contrast-enhanced imaging have improved diagnostic accuracy, enabling earlier institution of targeted therapies. Management decisions now increasingly reflect multidisciplinary input, encompassing gynaecological oncology, medical oncology, radiology and pathology. With evolving molecular insights and refinements in surgical and chemotherapeutic approaches, clinical outcomes continue to improve, although prognosis remains guarded in advanced disseminated disease.
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Metastatic Ovarian Tumors and Clinical Management publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in metastatic ovarian tumors and clinical management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Metastatic ovarian tumour: a secondary cancer deposit in the ovary originating from a primary malignancy elsewhere.
Krukenberg tumour: an ovarian metastasis characterised by signet ring cells, most often from a gastrointestinal primary.
Cytoreductive surgery: surgical removal of as much visible tumour as possible to improve response to adjuvant therapies.
Oophorectomy: surgical excision of one or both ovaries, used for both diagnosis and definitive management of ovarian deposits.
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS): an imaging technique using microbubble contrast agents to improve lesion characterisation and biopsy guidance.
References
- MRI characteristics of ovarian metastasis: differentiation from stomach and colorectal cancer. Japanese Journal of Radiology (2024).
- Real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasound-guided percutaneous biopsy in the diagnosis of ovarian metastasis of gallbladder carcinoma: a case report. Journal of Ovarian Research (2023).
- Abdominal B-Cell Lymphoma Mimicking Ovarian Cancer. Diagnostics (2024).
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