[Scalenus biopsy in diagnosis of ovarian and uterine cancers]. / Die Skalenusbiopsie in der Diagnostik von Ovarial- und Uteruskarzinomen.

Patients with tumours of the lower pelvis were submitted to a biopsy of the scalene fat pad. The primary tumour was a carcinoma of the ovary in 32, of the cervix in 4, and of the body of the uterus in 2 cases. Microscopic metastases in the pre-scalene lymph nodes were found in 7 of the 32 cases of ovarian carcinoma (21.8%), but in none of the patients with carcinoma of the uterus. Since a histologically positive finding of a scalene lymph node influences the treatment, biopsy of the scalene fat pad is recommended as part of the pre-operative investigation of patients with ovarian carcinoma.