[Normal-sized ovary carcinoma syndrome: histopathological analysis of 14 cases].

Fourteen cases of "normal-sized ovary carcinoma syndrome" (diffuse metastatic malignant disease of the abdominal cavity of the female, with normal-sized ovaries, with no origin assigned definitively by intraoperative or preoperative evaluation, Feuer et al., 1989) were analyzed histologically, histochemically, immunohistochemically and ultrastructurally. Through these studies, 14 cases were divided into 11 primary peritoneal tumors (4 diffuse malignant mesotheliomas and 7 serous surface papillary carcinomas) and 3 metastatic peritoneal tumors (2 ovarian tumors and 1 appendicular tumor). To distinguish serous surface papillary carcinomas from epithelioid diffuse malignant mesotheliomas, examinations such as hyaluronidase digestion test, electron microscopy, and immunohistochemical studies using antibodies for Ber-EP4 and Vimentin were found to be useful. In order to achieve an accurate prognosis of normal-sized ovary carcinoma syndrome, it seems necessary for us to accumulate more information on this syndrome.