Primary malignant melanoma arising from ruptured ovarian mature cystic teratoma with elevated serum CA 19–9: a case report and review of literature

Abstract Background Ovarian mature cystic teratomas comprise tissues derived from all three germ layers. In rare incidences, malignant tumors may arise from ovarian mature cystic teratoma, which occurs in 0.2–1.8% of cases. A variety of tumors can arise within mature cystic teratoma, among which mal...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Won Ku Choi, Dong Hyun Lee, Dong Hyu Cho, Kyu Yun Jang, Kyoung Min Kim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2019-11-01
Series:BMC Women's Health
Subjects:
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12905-019-0853-8
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Summary:Abstract Background Ovarian mature cystic teratomas comprise tissues derived from all three germ layers. In rare incidences, malignant tumors may arise from ovarian mature cystic teratoma, which occurs in 0.2–1.8% of cases. A variety of tumors can arise within mature cystic teratoma, among which malignant melanoma is exceedingly rare. Case presentation A 42-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain. Transvaginal ultrasonography showed mixed echogenic cystic masses in both ovaries. Her serum cancer antigen (CA19–9) level was elevated at 29,770 U/ml. Surgical excision was performed. Histologic examination showed infiltrating nests of pleomorphic cells with prominent nucleoli and black pigments in the background of a mature cystic teratoma. These pleomorphic cells showed strong immunoreactivity for Melan-A and HMB-45. The patient was re-evaluated and the possibility of a melanoma at any other site was ruled out. Based on these findings, we concluded that the malignant melanoma originated from the ovarian mature cystic teratoma. Conclusion We report a rare case of primary malignant melanoma derived from an ovarian mature cystic teratoma.
ISSN:1472-6874