Metastases to the female genital tract: Analysis of 325 cases

TLDR

The study reviewed all nonhematopoietic metastases to the female genital tract at Barnes Hospital (1950–1981) to determine their frequency and distribution. The authors analyzed 325 metastatic tumors from 269 patients, distinguishing 149 extragenital primaries from intragenital metastases. Ovary and vagina were the most common sites, with most extragenital metastases being gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas; 27 % mimicked primary gynecologic tumors, 75 % of which were actually extragenital, underscoring that every genital tract site is at risk for metastasis.

Abstract

In order to better define the frequency and patterns of metastasis to the female genital tract, all cases of nonhematopoietic metastases to the adnexa, uterus, vagina, and vulva encountered in patients treated at Barnes Hospital between 1950 and 1981 were reviewed. Three hundred twenty-five metastatic cancers from 269 patients were recovered. One hundred forty-nine cases were from extragenital primaries; the remaining tumors were intragenital metastases. Ovary and vagina were the most frequent metastatic sites for both extragenital and genital primaries. The majority of the extragenital metastases were adenocarcinomas from the gastrointestinal tract, but a variety of other primaries did spread, on occasion, to the genital tract. Twenty-seven percent of the metastases presented as possible primary gynecologic lesions, and 75% of these tumors had an extragenital origin. It is shown that despite certain trends in the distribution of metastases, all sites in the female genital tract are at risk for the occurrence of metastases.