[Preclinical lymph node metastasis in ovarian cancer. Report of a case]

The involvement of inguinal lymph nodes in the spread and metastatic process of ovarian cancer is not common and has been reported in a very small percentage of cases (1-3%) and at relatively advanced stages. This paper examines the case of a patient in whom lymph node metastasis at inguinal level became manifest at quite an early stage in the form of a swelling, initially mistaken for a crural hernia, and preceding by about one year the onset of papilliferous serous cystoadenocarcinoma which subsequently developed in the right ovary. This case, which to the authors' knowledge represents the second observation of this kind reported in the literature, aims to draw attention to the need to examine and monitor these patients more carefully and accurately (at both instrumental and biochemical levels) in order to intervene as rapidly and appropriately as possible.