Lymph node involvement in an ovarian borderline serous tumor: a rare clinicopathologic presentation with management...

Borderline serous tumor (BST), earlier known as atypical proliferative serous tumor, is an ovarian neoplasm of low malignant potential. Extraovarian spread in the form of peritoneal implants is common in these tumors; however, lymph node (LN) involvement is infrequent. The prognostic implication of LN involvement in BST is controversial. We present a case of a 25-year-old female presenting with dull-aching abdominal pain in the left iliac fossa for the past 3 years, which was associated with constipation and abdominal bloating. Her serum Cancer antigen 125 (CA125) level was 841.3 units/ml. Pelvic ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a large well-defined, solid-cystic, abdominopelvic mass arising from the right ovary, measuring 21×18×10 cm. The left ovary was also solid-cystic and measured 7×4×3 cm. A provisional clinico-radiologic diagnosis of ovarian malignancy was rendered. The patient underwent bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with omentectomy and right-sided pelvic and para-aortic lymph node dissection. Histopathology revealed bilateral ovarian BST with involvement of pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes. This was followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (in view of stage IIIA). She is disease-free at 3 years of regular follow-up. The prognosis and management of BST with LN is not yet fully elucidated. Nevertheless, the finding of such an involvement mandates thorough sampling of the primary ovarian tumor to exclude a possibility of low-grade serous carcinoma with LN metastasis.