Primary carcinoid tumor of the ovary: a case report

Carcinoid tumors commonly occur in the gastrointestinal tract and lungs. However, carcinoid tumors of the ovary are rare, primary carcinoid tumors being even rarer, forming 0.3% of all carcinoid tumors.

We present a case of a 55-year-old woman presented with symptoms of abdominal discomfort, weakness and fatigue. Pelvic ultrasound revealed a left-sided lobulated ovarian mass, which was solid with occasional internal scattered fluid areas. No other abnormality was detected on pelvic and abdominal ultrasonography. The findings of biochemical investigations were within normal limits. The patient underwent total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salphingo-oophorectomy for a clinical suspicion of ovarian tumor. Gross examination revealed a large tumor completely replacing the ovary, which was predominantly solid with few cystic areas and yellowish in color. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of uniform population of polygonal cells with abundant granular cytoplasm, arranged in small acini, solid sheets, ribbons and trabecular pattern. No teratomatous component was seen either grossly or microscopically. The tumor cells showed the strong expression of Chromogranin A and synaptophysin on immunohistochemistry. On the basis of this, a diagnosis of primary ovarian carcinoid was made.

We conclude that it is important to be aware of this entity in the pathological diagnosis of ovarian tumors, even in the absence of any clinical indicator of carcinoid tumor/syndrome, as it carries a markedly better prognosis and clinical outcome in comparison with most other malignant ovarian tumors.