Primary peritoneal serous psammocarcinoma with recurrent disease and metastasis: A case report and review of the literature

Background. Psammocarcinoma is a rare variant of serous carcinoma arising from either ovary or peritoneum. Although behavior of tumor is uncertain, it has been suggested to be similar to serous carcinomas of low malignant potential. Case. A 67-year-old woman was admitted with an abnormal vaginal bleeding and abdomino-pelvic pain. Computed tomography showed a heavily calcified rectovaginal mass that was histologically characterized by numerous psammoma bodies and low-grade cytological features. Following the primary surgery, the patient received 9 cycles of chemotherapy. Five years later, she presented with diffuse recurrence and 1 year later, with metastasis to the vertebra. Conclusion. Although psammocarcinoma is known to behave in a more indolent course, clinicians should be aware that patients with this disease may have a clinically aggressive, recurrent, and metastatic tumor that necessitated systemic therapy. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.