Histochemical observations on ovarian “pseudomucin”

Abstract

1. A case is presented in which it was necessary to classify bilateral cystic ovarian carcinomas as either primary pseudomucinous in type or secondary to a previously discovered mucin-producing adenocarcinoma of the stomach.2. A study was made of normal mucus-producing tissues, pseudomucinous adenomas and carcinomas of the ovary, and of the tumors in the case under consideration, utilizing conventional histochemical stains as well as fluorescence techniques. It was not possible to distinguish ovarian pseudomucin from mucin produced by other tissues, including the stomach, by these methods.3. Clotting upon acidification with acetic acid, the classic distinction between ovarian pseudomucin and mucus formed elsewhere in the body, depends upon physical and chemical factors not intrinsic to the tumor, and is of little value as an aid to diagnosis. Further chemical studies are required to determine the validity of a distinction between ovarian mucin and other mucins.