[Relationship between malignant transformation of ovarian mucinous cystadenoma and intestinal epithelial metaplasia]

Ninety cases of ovarian mucinous tumors were studied histologically and histochemically. Intestinal metaplasia was found in 48.2% (14/29) of benign. 73.6% (14/19) of borderline and 92.9% (39/42) of malignant mucinous cystadenomas. The differences between these three groups are statistically significant (P less than 0.01). Among 67 cases of intestinal metaplastic mucinous tumors, 43 contained argyrophil cells, and 36 contained argentaffin cells. The coexistence of intestinal metaplasic and uterocervical canal type epithelia was observed in 2/3 of borderline and 1/3 of malignant intestinal mucinous cystadenomas. In addition, there were 5 cases of borderline and 3 cases of malignant uterocervical canal type mucinous cystadenomas among the 90 cases. It is evident that the malignant transformation of ovarian mucinous cystadenoma was closely related to intestinal metaplasia. Anyhow, it seems not necessary for malignant transformation of all ovarian mucinous cystadenomas to pass through a stage of intestinal metaplasia: some of the malignant mucinous cystadenomas were considered probably originating from the uterocervical canal type epithelium.