[Lymphogenic metastasis of malignant ovarian tumors (bases on lymphographic data)]

Lymphogenous dissemination of malignant ovarian tumor was studied by means of direct radiopaque lymphography in 113 primary patients. Lymph node metastases were detected in 63 cases (55.8%). Positive lymphographic results matched histological findings on distant lymph nodes in 76.0 +/- 8.7 and negative in 96.3% +/- 3.7 of cases. Most frequent sites of metastases were regional paraaortal lymph nodes (87.7%). Pelvic nodes were affected in 63.2%; since in 10.5% of cases separate metastases were found, it may be supposed that these lymph nodes are regional to ovaries, too. Inguinal nodes ranked third as metastatic sites (17.5%). Frequency of metastatic dissemination was found to depend on histological pattern of tumor tissue: they occurred in 46.3% cases of epithelial tumors, 73.9% - germinogenous and 50.0% of tumors of genital cord stroma. Metastases into lymph nodes were detected in 28.6% of patients with stage I tumors. Control lymphograms showed metastases in regression following chemotherapy in 56.6% of patients.