Primary and metastatic ovarian cancer in patients with prior breast carcinoma. Pre-operative markers and treatment results.

Background: The pre-operative diagnosis of primary and metastatic malignant ovarian tumors in patients treated for breast cancer is difficult. The objective of this study was to analyze and compare the characteristics and outcome of women with a history of breast cancer in order to identify pre-operative markers useful in differential diagnosis and the role of surgery in their management.

Materials And Methods: The medical records of 36 patients with a history of breast cancer, who had been operated on either for primary or metastatic cancer between 1987 and 2003, were reviewed retrospectively.