Mesonephric proliferations of the female genital tract

Abstract

The mesonephric (Wolffian) duct regresses in females during embryological development. Remnants of this duct may persist typically along the lateral walls of the cervix, vagina, adnexa, and uterine corpus. These mesonephric epithelia may expand into hyperplastic proliferations and rarely form neoplasms. The spectrum of morphology, immunophenotype, clinical presentation, and molecular characteristics of mesonephric lesions is reviewed, with attention to distinction from entities in the differential diagnosis.

Keywords: Mesonephric; Wolffian; female adnexal tumour of probably Wolffian origin; mesonephric carcinoma; mesonephric hyperplasia; mesonephric remnants; mesonephric-like adenocarcinoma.