GATA4 is diagnostically useful for distinguishing primary ovarian mucinous carcinomas from metastatic colorectal adenocarcinomas to the ovary.

The expression of GATA4 in a mucus-producing ovarian tumor strongly supports it being a primary OMC rather than a metastatic colorectal carcinoma: GATA4 expression indicates OMC and SATB2 expression indicates colorectal adenocarcinoma. However, three cases of colorectal adenocarcinoma were GATA4-positive and SATB2-negative, so the GATA4/SATB2 marker combination is not absolute for determining the primary site. Further research for more markers is necessary to find the ideal combination.