Malignant Transformation of an Ovarian Endometrioma during Endometriosis Treatment: A Case Report

Treatment of Immature Teratoma Associated with Ovarian Endometrioma: A Case Report

Background

Mature teratoma is a benign neoplasm, mostly composed of well-differentiated derivations of almost two or three germ cell layers, while immature teratoma is a malignant neoplasm composed of immature neural and embryonic tissue. Immature teratoma in the context of ovarian endometrioma has not been reported yet.

Case Presentation

A 34-year-old woman with primary infertility is reported in this study who suffered from immature teratoma associated with ovarian endometrioma. After several rounds of fertility treatment, the patient was referred for severe abdominal pain and underwent emergency surgery for the rupture of ovarian endometrioma. To preserve the ovary, the cyst was not resected in areas attached to the ovary. Some months later, the patient noticed a progressive abdominal enlargement. The sonographic evaluation revealed multiple solid-cystic lobulated masses on the abdominal wall and throughout the pelvic cavity. The histologic diagnosis was consistent with immature teratoma. The patient was treated with high-dose neoadjuvant chemotherapy and fertility-sparing surgery (FSS). The histologic evaluation of the extracted masses revealed teratoma maturation.

Conclusion

This study reveals the importance of complete removal of endometrioma and highlights the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in fertility-sparing surgery and potentiating teratoma maturation.

Spectrum of Ovarian Incidentalomas: Diagnosis and Management

Incidental ovarian lesions are asymptomatic lesions that are accidentally discovered during a CT or MRI examinations that involves the pelvic cavity or during a routine obstetric ultrasound study. Incidental ovarian masses are usually benign with a very low risk of malignancy yet underlying malignant pathology may be discovered during the diagnostic work-up of these lesions. Suspicion of malignancy is directly correlating with the increase in the patient's age, the increase in the size of the lesion, the presence of the solid components or thick septa and a high color scale of the ovarian mass. Following standard reporting and management protocols are essential to choose the proper work-up of these lesions to avoid unnecessary additional imaging and operative intervention. In this article, we will provide a review of the characteristic imaging features of some incidental and yet commonly encountered ovarian lesions. We will also summarize the recently published algorithms that are important for consistent reporting and standard management of these lesions.

CD200 and CD200R Expression on Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes and Serum CD200 Concentration as a New Marker of Endometriosis

The causes of endometriosis (EMS) remain unknown; however, a number of immunological abnormalities contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. The cluster of differentiation-200 (CD200) and its receptor (CD200R) maintain peripheral self-tolerance by negatively regulating immune responses. In this comparative cross-sectional study, we investigated the expression of CD200 and CD200R on T and B lymphocytes and the serum level of soluble CD200 (sCD200) using flow cytometry and ELISA, respectively. Peripheral blood samples were collected from 54 female patients and 20 healthy, age-matched controls. Results were tested for correlation with disease severity and selected clinical parameters. We demonstrated that the differences in sCD200 levels (p = 0.001), the frequencies of CD200-positive T and B lymphocytes (p < 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively), and the frequencies of CD200R-positive T and B lymphocytes (p < 0.001 for all comparisons) in the study group correlated positively with disease severity. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that aberrant expression of CD200/CD200R might serve as a marker to distinguish between EMS cases. Finally, negative co-stimulatory factors may contribute to the induction and persistence of inflammation associated with EMS. It seems that it is essential to determine whether alteration in the CD200/CD200R pathway can be therapeutically targeted in EMS.

Significant risk factors for malignant transformation of ovarian endometrioma during dienogest treatment: a case report and retrospective study

BACKGROUND

To determine the prevalence of and risk factors for malignant transformation of ovarian endometrioma during dienogest therapy, which is very rare, we examined multiple cases of malignant transformation of ovarian endometrioma during dienogest therapy and performed a multivariate analysis of the records in our hospital.

METHODS

The medical records of 174 patients who underwent DNGT for the treatment of OMA from June 1, 2011, to May 31, 2018, were reviewed retrospectively with the approval of the Human Ethical Committee of the University of Teikyo Hospital. And we provided one representative case of MT with obtaining written informed consent. To assess the effects of six representative factors, including advanced age, parity, surgical history, and endometrial cyst characteristics (including 3 factors), on the possibility of malignant transformation, we performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Of the 174 cases, 4 were diagnosed with malignant transformation, and these cases are reported. In the multivariate analysis, advanced age (P = 0.0064), nullipara (P = 0.0322), and enlargement (P = 0.0079) showed significant differences for malignant transformation occurrence. All 4 malignant transformation cases were among the 19 patients who had all of these 3 factors.

CONCLUSIONS

For a more accurate determination of the treatment approach, a larger sample size will be needed to determine the risk factors for malignant transformation during dienogest therapy.