Cervical cancer and tuboovarian abscesses. A report of three cases.

Tuboovarian abscesses are rarely found in cervical cancer cases. In each of the three cases presented below, the diagnosis of adnexal disease was established at exploratory laparotomy. In one patient following surgery the cancer was downstaged from IIIb to IB. Another patient had undergone external radiotherapy with considerable morbidity prior to surgery. The third patient presented with ruptured tuboovarian abscesses. The cases illustrate the spectrum of problems when these diseases coexist. Exclusion of the presence of tuboovarian abscesses in selected cases by surgery is recommended to optimize treatment of the cancer.