Mucinous metaplasia of the fallopian tube: a diagnostic pitfall mimicking metastasis.
Interpretation of the mucinous change in the fallopian tubes has been difficult because several reports consider this mucinous change as a metastasis from a mucinous tumor. To clarify this issue, we decided to retrospectively review salpingectomies from 3 institutions looking for mucinous change in the fallopian tubes and documented the clinical history of these patients. Twenty-three cases of fallopian tubes with mucinous changes were found, including 11 patients without evidence of malignancy, 4 patients with mucinous ovarian tumors, 5 patients with nonmucinous gynecologic tumors, 2 patients with mucinous appendiceal neoplasm, and 1 patient with colon carcinoma. As mucinous changes are seen in several patients who do not have a malignant tumor, we believe that these changes represent a metaplastic process. The mucinous changes are frequently seen with chronic inflammation and/or other metaplastic changes and without cytologic evidence of malignancy.
Department of Pathology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California 90048, USA.
Anna K
AK
Wong
Jeffrey D
JD
Seidman
Denise A
DA
Barbuto
Laron W
LW
McPhaul
Elvio G
EG
Silva
D002288:Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001063:Appendiceal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005185:Fallopian Tube Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D005187:Fallopian Tubes / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008679:Metaplasia / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009077:Mucins; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D058994:Salpingectomy
D009077:Mucins