Chordoma arising in a mature cystic teratoma of the ovary: a case report

Abstract

Mature cystic teratoma of the ovary (MCTO) is the most common type of ovarian teratoma and also the most frequent tumor originating from germ cells. It is usually diagnosed in early adulthood and, by definition, is composed of well-differentiated tissues, which originate from all three germ cell layers. Unusual types of tissues can be found in MCTO, such as kidney, adrenal, and prostatic tissues. Malignant transformation is reported in less than 2% of teratomas. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common malignancy arising in these otherwise benign tumors. We present the first case of MCTO containing a chordoma. The chordoma differentiation was supported by immunohistochemical staining and interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (IP-FISH) technique showing 19% of the nuclei of the MCTO displaying polysomy for the chromosome X, while 28% of the chordoma nuclei showed chromosome 7 mosaicism. These results are concordant with previous studies, showing chromosomal anomalies in chromosomes X and 7 in MCTO and chordomas, respectively.