Endometriosis mimicking advanced ovarian cancer.

Fertil Steril

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.

Published: July 2006

AI Article Synopsis

  • A case of a 46-year-old woman with endometriosis presented with severe symptoms including massive ascites and pleural effusion, along with extremely high levels of Ca-125.
  • Treatment involved chemotherapy and surgery, initially suspecting ovarian cancer.
  • Ultimately, the diagnosis revealed stage IV endometriosis instead of cancer, highlighting the need for considering endometriosis when diagnosing similar cases in women of reproductive age.

Article Abstract

Objective: To report a case of endometriosis associated with massive ascites, pleural effusion, and extremely elevated Ca-125.

Design: Case report.

Setting: University hospital.

Patient(s): A 46-year-old, white nulligravida with bilateral adnexal masses, Ca-125 of 3,504 U/mL, abdominal pain, ascites, and a pleural effusion.

Intervention(s): Chemotherapy followed by exploratory laparotomy for suspected ovarian cancer.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Surgical findings and histopathology.

Result(s): Intraoperative examination and histology ruled out malignancy but found stage IV endometriosis.

Conclusion(s): In rare instances advanced endometriosis may be associated with ascites, pleural effusions, and large pelvic masses. For this reason endometriosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of reproductive-age women presenting with apparent ovarian malignancy.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2005.12.044DOI Listing

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