A giant ovarian atypical proliferative mucinous tumor in a young adult: A rare case report and review of the literature.

Abstract

Introduction and importance: Ovarian atypical proliferative mucinous tumor (APMT) is a low-malignant or borderline tumor that originates from the ovary's surface epithelium. This tumor can grow to a massive size, causing abdominal distention, which can result in a variety of compression symptoms if it is not discovered early.

Case presentation: A 23-year-old female presented with a chronic, gradually developing abdominal distention that had been persistent for a year. A large peritoneal cyst was suggested by an abdominal CT scan. A massive left ovarian tumor was discovered during an exploratory laparotomy. Salpingo-oophorectomy was performed, and the pathology report confirmed the diagnosis of APMT. No recurrence has been observed during a year of follow-up.

Clinical discussion: Diagnosis of ovarian APMBT involves clinical assessment, history, and symptoms of the patient. Imaging studies are useful in identifying these lesions. Ultrasound demonstrates a large, unilocular or multilocular cystic mass with thin septations. Further characterization requires an MRI or CT scan. Serum tumor markers such as CEA, CA-125, and β-hCG are helpful in diagnosing these lesions. The definitive diagnosis requires histopathological examination. Unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy is the mainstay of treatment. Adjuvant therapy is not required. Lifelong follow-up is essential, especially for fertility-sparing surgeries due to recurrence risk.

Conclusion: Due to the substantial overlap of clinicopathological characteristics with other tumors, accurate diagnosis of APMT can be difficult. Large tumor sizes may cause alarm for other pathologies such as cancer. The attending physician should be reassured with the imaging examinations, and the diagnosis is confirmed by the histopathology examination.