Primary solitary peritoneal tumor of the abdominal wall - report of a rare case and review of the literature

Abstract

Abdominal wall tumors are sometimes diagnosed as metastases of ovarian cancer, however, primary peritoneal tumors should be taken into consideration in the final diagnosis. A 49-year-old female patient was admitted in our Department for the excision of a pulpable abdominal wall lump, with no other abnormalities shown on imaging investigation. On histology examination, the excised specimen revealed characteristics of metastatic high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma. Total hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy, omentectomy and appendectomy were performed. No signs of malignancy were proved on histology, leading to the final diagnosis of a primary serous peritoneal tumor. This is the third described case of solitary primary serous peritoneal tumor located in the abdominal wall. This condition should be included in the differential diagnosis of a probable metastatic ovarian carcinoma, as both present similar histologic characteristics.