Mechanism of development and morphology of secondary carcinomas of the oviducts in primary uterine corpus carcinoma.

The rate of incidence and morphology of metastases in 284 Fallopian tubes from 148 patients with primary uterine corpus cancer have been investigated. In 44 patients metastases were discovered in inner organs, of which in 17 (11.5% patients) in 23 oviducts. In 10 of these patients the Fallopian tubes were the only localization of metastases. Macroscopical alterations in the form of thickening and condensation, tumor nodules on the surface of the affected oviducts were discovered in 7 cases. In the remainder no macroscopical changes have been noted. There predominated lymphogenic metastases, in a smaller number of cases there were implantation and lymphogeno-implantation type metastases, localized mostly in the ampullary regions of the oviducts. More often, one could observe involvement by lymphogenic metastases of the subserosal layers together with muscular tissue, less frequently of mucosal layers, and total involvement of all layers of the wall of Fallopian tubes in the form of single or multicentric tumor nests, or diffuse tumor infiltration of tissues of the oviduct wall. Implantation metastases in the form of micronodules, multicellular agglomerates were discovered on the serosa more often than on the mucosa of Fallopian tubes. Secondary oviduct carcinomas differ from primary ones by their histological structure and character of growth. The Fallopian tubes play an essential role in the dissemination of metastases in the presence of primary uterine corpus carcinoma.