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Ovarian cancer mimics: how to avoid being fooled by extraovarian pelvic masses

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Abstract

In our clinical experience, pelvic masses from a variety of anatomic sites may be misdiagnosed as ovarian cancer. This tendency to overdiagnose a rare disease probably reflects both its protean imaging appearance and concern for its potential morbidity and mortality. However, radiologists can better serve patients with an analytic approach to the anatomic and tissue features of pelvic masses. We review a range of ovarian cancer mimics and illustrate the radiologic reasoning enabling correct diagnosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    William R. Masch

  2. Department of Radiology, Stanford University Medical Center, 300 Pasteur Dr, H1307 MC 5621, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Aya Kamaya

  3. Department of Radiology, University of Michigan Hospitals, 1500 E Med Ctr Dr UH B1D530, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Ashish P. Wasnik & Katherine E. Maturen

Authors
  1. William R. Masch
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  2. Aya Kamaya
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  3. Ashish P. Wasnik
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  4. Katherine E. Maturen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katherine E. Maturen.

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Conflict of interest

William R. Masch, Aya Kamaya, Ashish P. Wasnik, and Katherine E. Maturen declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

This study was not supported by grant funding. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was not obtained for this retrospective review.

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CME activity. This article has been selected as the CME activity for the current month. Please visit https://ce.mayo.edu/node/14957 and follow the instructions to complete this CME activity.

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Masch, W.R., Kamaya, A., Wasnik, A.P. et al. Ovarian cancer mimics: how to avoid being fooled by extraovarian pelvic masses. Abdom Radiol 41, 783–793 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-015-0570-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-015-0570-1

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