Ovarian teratoma with peritoneal and lymph node metastases of mature glial tissue: a benign condition

The presence of widespread intraperitoneal metastases in patients with ovarian tumors usually indicates advanced disease. However, this is not always the case. A rare type of ovarian tumor, ie, mature solid teratoma, may be associated with intraabdominal metastases of mature glial tissue (gliomatosis peritonei). In spite of such metastases, the prognosis in patients with this tumor is excellent, regardless of the mode of therapy. In these patients radical surgical treatment, eg, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, is unnecessarily destructive, and therapy for the metastases is not required.