Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2005. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 28, 2005; 11(28): 4445-4446
Published online Jul 28, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i28.4445
Ovarian carcinoma in two patients with chronic liver disease
Mehlika Isildak, Gulay Sain Guven, Murat Kekilli, Yavuz Beyazit, Mustafa Erman
Mehlika Isildak, Gulay Sain Guven, Murat Kekilli, Yavuz Beyazit, Mustafa Erman, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Sihhiye, Ankara 06100, Turkey
Gulay Sain Guven, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of General Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Sihhiye, Ankara 06100, Turkey
Mustafa Erman, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Medical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Sihhiye, Ankara 06100, Turkey
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Gülay Sain Guven, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of General Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Sihhiye, Ankara 06100, Turkey. gsain@tr.net
Telephone: +90-312-305-3029 Fax: +90-312-305-2302
Received: July 23, 2004
Revised: November 23, 2004
Accepted: December 1, 2004
Published online: July 28, 2005
Abstract

Ascites is a common and debilitating complication of cirrhosis. However, patients with chronic liver disease are not spared from other causes of ascites and physicians should be careful not to miss an underlying malignancy. Ovarian cancer is an insidious disease, which is difficult to diagnose and it ranks first in mortality among all gynecological cancers. Here, we present two cases of patients with chronic liver disease that developed ascites not simply because of cirrhosis but as a manifestation of ovarian cancer. We would like to emphasize that the causes of ascites, other than the liver itself, should not be overlooked in patients with chronic liver disease.

Keywords: Ovarian carcinoma; Ascites; Chronic liver disease