A Krukenberg tumor refers to a malignancy in the ovary that metastasized from a primary site, classically the gastrointestinal tract, although it can arise in other tissues such as the breast.

[5] All these symptoms are non-specific and can also arise with a range of problems other than cancer, and a diagnosis can only be made following confirmatory investigations such as computed tomography (CT) scans, laparotomy and/or a biopsy of the ovary.

However, in Japan they represent a much higher percentage of malignancies in the ovary (almost 20%) due to the increased prevalence of gastric cancer.

[7][3] Krukenberg tumors are most commonly metastases from gastric cancer, particularly adenocarcinoma, or breast cancer[1] particularly invasive lobular breast carcinoma,[2] but they can arise in the appendix, colon, small intestine, rectum, gallbladder, and urinary bladder[3] or gallbladder, biliary tract, pancreas, ampulla of Vater or uterine cervix.

[2] Since Krukenberg tumors are secondary (metastatic), management might logically be driven by identifying and treating the primary cancer.