Primary Peritoneal Cancer Guide

Ovarian cancer metastasis is a process that involves local tumor invasion followed by dissemination and then re-establishment at distant sites. It usually occurs through blood or lymphatic system, a network of conduits that carry a clear fluid. Approximately 98% of deaths from undetected cancers are due to ovarian cancer metastasis.

Cancers spread through the body by two mechanisms: invasion and metastasis. The invasion is the direct migration and penetration by cancer cells in nearby tissues. Metastasis is the ability of cancer cells to penetrate the blood and lymphatic vessels, circulate through the bloodstream and then grow into a new focus, ovarian metastasis in normal tissues elsewhere in the body. Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer among women in the United States followed by the primary cancers, breast cancer and gastrointestinal cancer.

There are several different types of cancer that can arise in the ovary, including epithelial ovarian cancer that occurs in the cells on the surface of the ovary. Epithelial cancer is another term for ovarian cancer.

Studies make a special reference to Krukenberg tumor which refers to an ovarian cancer metastasis whose primary site arose in the gastrointestinal tract or breast. These tumors are often found in both ovaries. Patients with Krukenberg tumor often come to the attention of the doctor when they’re suffering from abdominal or pelvic pain, bloating, vaginal bleeding, a change in their menstrual habits or pain during intercourse. These symptoms are not specific, pointing to a number of other problems that the cancer and the diagnosis of the disease can only be made following computed tomography (CT), laparotomy and/or a biopsy of the ovary. A laparotomy is a surgical procedure involving an incision through the abdominal wall to gain access into the abdominal cavity. It is also known as coeliotomy. When treating a secondary metastatic tumor its origin, the primary tumor, should also be treated. On early staging ovarian cancer is associated with abdominal distension. Depending on the stage you can figure out the size of the tumor and how deeply it has penetrated.

The ovary is a common site of metastasis of certain primary carcinomas. Today science advances rapidly with new research that helps to prevent many diseases. Scientists have created a vaccine to prevent ovarian cancer metastasis. The results thus far show promise, both for their safety and for their effectiveness. Ovarian tumors are “stealthy murderers” because they are notoriously difficult to detect in their early stages. About 10% of ovarian tumors are of primary origin. Thus far, nobody has convincingly described the procedure normally followed to ovarian with metastases from gastric cancer. It is known that the lymphatic channels that drain the upper gastrointestinal tract end up joining the lumbar chain of lymph nodes. The only hope for improvement is the removal as soon as possible of the primary tumor. In terms of treatments adjuvant chemotherapy is effective to minimize the effects of ovarian cancer metastasis depending on the stage reached.