The pathologic distinction of primary and metastatic mucinous tumors involving the ovary: A re-evaluation of algorithms based on gross features.

The problems associated with the pathologic distinction of primary ovarian mucinous tumors from their metastatic counterparts are well-recognized. Herein, we systematically evaluate a variety of gross parameters to determine the combination of features that most optimally separate primary from secondary mucinous ovarian tumors, and to address the tumor types that are most frequently associated with exceptions. 129 consecutive mucinous tumors involving the ovary formed the study set, including 61 primary mucinous tumors (16 carcinomas, 45 borderline tumors), and 68 metastatic carcinomas (21 colon; 28 appendix; 5 breast; 3 lung; 3 pancreas; 3 cervix; 1 bladder; 4 stomach).