Background: Krunkenberg tumor is defined as the ovarian metastases of a primary digestive tumor composed of a signet ring cells.
Aim: Describe the different characteristics of Krukenberg's tumor to improve diagnostic criteria and the therapeutic approche.
Methods: Five cases of Krukenberg tumor are diagnosed in 5 year period between 2002 and 2005. The clinico-pathological feature are reported.
Results: The patient age was ranged from 31 to 58 years. Most ovarian tumors were diagnosed synchronously (3 cases). It was a gastric carcinoma in 3 cases and a colonic carcinoma in 2 patients. Histological diagnosis wass easy. We found in 2 cases a metastasis of colonic mucinous adenocarcinoma with signet ring-cell, in 2 other cases it was a gastric adenocarcinoma with exclusively signet ring cell and in the later case it was a gastric moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma with signet ring cell component. Surgical treatment was given in only 3 patients.
Conclusion: Prognosis is always unfavourable. The only hope for improved prognosis is to search for ovarian metastasis in all cases of digestive tumor.