Primary ovarian neuroblastoma

Abstract

Background: The diagnosis of neuroblastoma is rare after the age of 15 years, and anatomical locations are essentially the adrenal glands and paraspinal sites. Neuroblastomas in adolescents are most often metastatic and carry a very poor prognosis.

Case report: We report the case of a 17-year-old young woman in whom the diagnosis of primary ovarian neuroblastoma associated with a mature teratoma was established. A workup to assess disease extension was negative. Due to the localized characteristic of this tumor and the absence of N-myc oncogene amplification, and in spite of the unfavorable characteristic of the patient's age, treatment consisted of surgical removal of the tumor followed by clinical, laboratory and radiographic monitoring. No relapse has occurred during the 3-year follow up.

Conclusion: The issues raised by this rare case are discussed concomitantly with a review of the literature.