A case of sebaceous carcinoma arising within a benign ovarian cystic teratoma.

BACKGROUND: Mature cystic teratoma, also known as dermoid cyst, is the most common germ cell tumor of the ovary. Malignant change in a component of a mature ovarian teratoma is rare, occurring in less than 2% of cases, with squamous cell carcinoma corresponding to 80% of such neoplasms. Pure sebaceous carcinoma is exceedingly rare, with only 6 reported cases thus far.

CASE REPORT: A 74-year-old woman presented with lower abdominal pain due to a palpable mass in the right abdomen. Abdominal and pelvic ultrasound as well as computed tomography demonstrated a heterogenic tumor of the right ovary. A total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed. Histological examination of the tumor showed features of a well-differentiated sebaceous carcinoma arising within a mature cystic teratoma.

CONCLUSIONS: This is an extremely rare ovarian malignancy of which the clinical behavior and optimal management are not well established. Differential diagnosis with other malignant neoplasms arising in mature cystic teratomas is exceedingly important for treatment and prognosis.