Krukenberg tumour sign

System: Pregnancy & Women's Health Signs · All pregnancy & women's health signs

What it is — and how it is elicited

Firm, enlarged ovaries found on examination or imaging in a patient with an unsuspected stomach or bowel cancer, caused by metastatic signet-ring cancer cells.

What a positive finding suggests

Associated with metastatic spread to the ovaries, classically from a gastric primary cancer.

◈ Behind the name

Friedrich Ernst Krukenberg (1871–1946), German pathologist.

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Please note: This page is an educational reference about clinical examination signs. A clinical sign supports — and never replaces — a full clinical evaluation, examination and appropriate testing. A sign being present does not by itself prove a diagnosis, and an absent sign does not rule one out. If you have symptoms that worry you, see a health professional.