The role of lymphatic obstruction in the formation of ascites in a murine ovarian carcinoma.

Summary In normal mice, 60 to 70% of 51Cr-labeled erythrocytes injected i.p. appear in the peripheral bloodstream within 5 hr. In mice previously inoculated with a transplantable, ascites-producing ovarian tumor, this egress of labeled erythrocytes from the abdominal cavity is significantly impaired before ascites develops. Diaphragmatic lymphatic obstruction is demonstrated histologically. Since red cells leave the peritoneal cavity primarily by way of these lymphatic channels, these observations suggest that lymphatic obstruction by tumor cells is probably of pathogenetic importance in the accumulation of ascitic fluid.