Port-site metastasis of mucinous borderline ovarian tumor after laparoscopy

We report a case of port-site metastasis after laparoscopic surgery for borderline mucinous ovarian tumors (mBOTs) without spillage and review the related literature. The patient was a 50-year-old nulligravida who presented with abdominal distension. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a 20 × 10-cm multilocular mass with various signal intensities. The wall and septa of the mass were neither thick nor enhanced. A laparoscopy was performed. An intact left ovarian tumor was observed. The weight of the tumor was 1,540 g. The final diagnosis was stage IA intestinal-type mBOT, so the patient did not undergo adjuvant therapy. Twenty-six months after surgery, the patient presented with a 3 × 5-cm palpable mass on the umbilicus. Biopsy of the mass revealed mucinous adenocarcinoma and computed tomography showed a 3.5 × 4.0-cm mass at the umbilicus without additional metastases. A laparotomy was performed and no metastasis in the peritoneal cavity was observed by gross examination. An umbilical mass resection, hysterectomy, right salpingo-oophorectomy, appendectomy, and partial omentectomy were performed. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections of the umbilical mass revealed glands of varying size infiltrating the stroma, immunohistologic staining for cytokeratin 7 was positive, and cytokeratin 20 was negative, but no other metastases were observed. The patient was diagnosed with port-site metastasis and invasive recurrence of mBOT. She underwent six cycles of adjuvant paclitaxel and carboplatin therapy. Large ovarian tumors should be carefully extracted without spillage of the tumor contents to prevent port-site metastasis, despite the low incidence.