Ovarian Causes of Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PMP)-A Literature Review

Simple Summary Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare, slow-growing, and poorly understood neoplasm. It is characterized by varying degrees of malignancy and the production of mucinous, gelatinous structures. The development of PMP is typically associated with the rupture of appendiceal mucinous tumors and other gastrointestinal or ovarian mucinous tumors. This present literature review was conducted to better describe the ovarian causes of PMP. The main instances in which PMP can have an ovarian cause include the following: mucinous cystadenoma, mucinous ovarian cancer, colon cancer with ovarian metastasis, malignant transformation of an ovarian primary mature cystic teratoma, appendiceal mucocele with peritoneal dissemination, mucinous borderline tumor developing inside an ovarian teratoma, and the association between a mucinous bilateral ovarian cancer and a colonic tumor. We undertook a literature study to identify and underline the feasible treatments for PMP, since the limited knowledge of this cancerous condition raises the likelihood of delayed diagnosis or progressive deterioration.Abstract Background. Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare, progressive, slowly growing, inadequately understood neoplasm with a 5-year progression-free survival rate of as low as 48%. It is characterized by varying degrees of malignancy and the production of mucinous and gelatinous structures. Typically, the development of pseudomyxoma peritonei is associated with the rupture of appendiceal mucinous tumors and other gastrointestinal or ovarian mucinous tumors. The goal of our literature review was to identify various aspects that characterize the ovarian causes of pseudomyxoma peritonei. Materials and methods. The authors performed an extensive literature search between 1 February 2024 and 2 March 2024 on the following databases: Pubmed, Scopus, Oxford Journals, and Reaxys, and the findings were summarized into seven main clinical and paraclinical situations. Results. According to our research, the main instances in which pseudomyxoma peritonei can be triggered by an ovarian cause are the following: (1) mucinous cystadenoma; (2) mucinous ovarian cancer; (3) colon cancer with ovarian metastasis; (4) malignant transformation of an ovarian primary mature cystic teratoma; (5) appendiceal mucocele with peritoneal dissemination mimicking an ovarian tumor with peritoneal carcinomatosis; (6) mucinous borderline tumor developing inside an ovarian teratoma; and (7) the association between a mucinous bilateral ovarian cancer and a colonic tumor. Conclusions. In our study, we aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the ovarian causes of pseudomyxoma peritonei, including its epidemiology, imagery characteristics, symptoms, current treatment, and promising future therapies, in the hopes of finding feasible solutions, as a lack of understanding of this mucus-secreting malignant disease increases the risk of delayed diagnosis or uncontrolled deterioration.