Normal-sized ovarian papillary serous carcinoma: a case report

A normal-sized ovarian papillary serous carcinoma is rare. We present the case of a 46-year-old woman with progressive abdominal fullness of one week's duration. The medical evaluation revealed abdominal carcinomatosis with normal-sized ovaries and an elevated serum CA-125 level of 147,365.8 U/ml. Cytoreductive surgery (hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, omentectomy, lymphadenectomy, infracolic omentectomy, peritoneal biopsy, washing cytology, and appendectomy) was performed. The histologic examination revealed an ovarian serous papillary carcinoma. Adjuvant chemotherapy was administered. The serum CA-125 level decreased after completion of treatment. Normal-sized ovarian serous surface papillary carcinomas should be kept in mind as an origin of disease in patients who have peritoneal carcinomatosis, which sometimes is a diagnostic dilemma of the disease source. We report this case to emphasize the clinical symptoms and importance of the early and accurate diagnosis of a normal-sized ovarian papillary serous carcinoma.