Metastasis from a stage IB cervical adenocarcinoma in a transposed ovary: a case report and review of the literature.

Adenocarcinoma originating in the endocervix may remain occult for many years. This may result in an extension to the uterine isthmus and corpus, with subsequent dissemination along the pathways of spread of uterine carcinoma, including metastasis to the ovaries. The patient described in this report had a bulky stage Ib cervical adenocarcinoma with metastasis in a transposed ovary. The metastasis was noted 6 months following postoperative external pelvic irradiation. The sequence of events strongly suggests that microscopic ovarian disease was present at the time of the original surgery. Other cases have been reported; however, the exact incidence is difficult to determine. The current literature on this subject is reviewed and recommendations are made for evaluation and treatment.