Large Mucinous Borderline Ovarian Tumor in an Asymptomatic Woman: A Case Report

Borderline ovarian tumors represent a unique subset of ovarian tumors. Compared to malignant ovarian cancers, borderline ovarian tumors typically affect a younger patient group and have growth patterns and cytological features that fall between benign and malignant tumors. Because there aren't any clinical signs in the early stages, these tumors are usually discovered by chance during a physical examination. There are very few reports of large mucinous borderline ovarian tumors in the literature, and they present different clinical manifestations. Herein, we report the case of a 61-year-old asymptomatic woman with a large cystic mass initially detected by ultrasonography. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography examinations showed a large lesion with a maximum diameter of 24 cm, which stemmed from the right ovary and occupied the entire abdomen. Of the tumor markers analyzed, carcinogen antigen 125 levels were found to be elevated. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy, and the tumor was removed en bloc. Total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and appendectomy was also performed. The pathological examination revealed a cystic neoplasm measuring 25 x 18 x 16 cm and weighing 4 kg, and the histologic study established the diagnosis of a mucinous ovarian neoplasm of borderline malignancy. Despite the size of the tumor, the case described here shows that the patient had a good prognosis because there were no symptoms at diagnosis for a borderline mucinous histotype. Large ovarian lesions are often related to compressive symptoms and require resection soon after diagnosis to ensure a good prognosis.