Disseminated intravascular coagulation associated with intratumoral hemorrhage of ovarian cancer.
BACKGROUND
Ovarian carcinoma usually presents in an indolent manner. A patient with ovarian cancer rarely shows acute clinical features which require immediate medical intervention.


METHODS
We present a 36-year-old Japanese woman with an ovarian tumor, who suffered general fatigue and increased abdominal girth on admission. Her hemoglobin, platelet count and fibrinogen were decreased, and fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products were elevated, which determined the diagnosis of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Since computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intratumoral hemorrhage, an emergency laparotomy was performed. The patient was found to have ovarian cancer with a massive intratumoral hemorrhage, and DIC improved immediately after the operation.


CONCLUSIONS
The clinician should be alert to the possibility that intratumoral bleeding of ovarian cancer might be associated with DIC.
Matsushita
H
H
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Niigata University School of Medicine, Niigata, Japan. matsuh@med.niigata-u.ac.jp
Kurabayashi
T
T
Tomita
M
M
Yamamoto
Y
Y
Aoki
Y
Y
Tanaka
K
K
D000328:Adult; D018394:CA-125 Antigen / Q000097:blood; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen / Q000097:blood; D004211:Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products / Q000032:analysis; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000032:analysis; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D010976:Platelet Count; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D018394:CA-125 Antigen; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; D006454:Hemoglobins; D005340:Fibrinogen