Ascites is not necessarily an ominous sign in women with a pelvic tumour

Ovarian cancer may progress from early to advanced stages within relatively a short period. Early symptoms are often vague and may resemble those of less serious conditions, such as menstrual disorders and intestinal illnesses. Ovarian cancer is called the silent killer because it progresses almost silently. By the time symptoms appear, the ovarian tumour may have grown large enough to shed cancer cells throughout the abdomen and metastasize in the chest. Ultrasound, CTscan, MRI, and tumour markers usually suggest presence of a pelvic tumour but do not indicate reliably whether it is benign or malignant. The association of a benign ovarian tumour with ascites and hydrothorax that resolve after tumour resection is known as Meigs’ syndrome. It usually occurs in elderly females. It was first emphasized by Meigs and Cass in 1937. The importance of Meigs’ syndrome is that the presence of ascites and pleural effusion does not necessarily indicate that a pelvic mass is malignant. The benign tumours in Meigs’ syndrome are usually fibromas or fibrothecomas which constitute 4% of all ovarian neoplasms. Here we describe a case of pelvic tumour in a young female.