Rare leptomeningeal recurrence of mucinous ovarian carcinoma

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in women and represents the deadliest of the gynecologic cancers. Despite treatment, 80 % of patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer will experience recurrence of disease within 18 months. Mucinous ovarian carcinoma represents an exceptionally rare subtype of ovarian cancer, comprising only 1–3 % of cases. Roughly 65–80 % of cases are diagnosed early at FIGO stage I with an excellent prognosis. However, for those diagnosed with advanced stage III-IV primary or recurrent disease, prognosis is extremely poor secondary to aggressive tumor biology and poor response to traditional platinum-based chemotherapy. Ovarian cancer recurrence most commonly arises secondary to transperitoneal and lymphatic spread of neoplastic cells. Central nervous system seeding, particularly leptomeningeal metastasis, is exceptionally rare with only palliative treatment options. Here, we describe a 44-year-old female with leptomeningeal recurrence remote from surgical treatment of stage IA mucinous ovarian carcinoma.