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Review
. 2023 Mar 24;24(7):6141.
doi: 10.3390/ijms24076141.

Mature Cystic Teratoma: An Integrated Review

Luping Cong  1 , Sijia Wang  1 , Suet Ying Yeung  2 , Jacqueline Ho Sze Lee  2 , Jacqueline Pui Wah Chung  1 , David Yiu Leung Chan  1
Affiliations
Review

Mature Cystic Teratoma: An Integrated Review

Luping Cong et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Ovarian dermoid cysts, also called mature cystic teratomas (MCTs), account for 69% of ovarian germ cell tumors in young women. The tumors are formed by tissues derived from three germ layers, and sebaceous materials are most commonly seen. The origin of MCTs is widely considered to be the germ cell origin, which completes meiosis I. The clinical symptoms vary widely, but 20% of tumors could be asymptomatic. The diagnosis of MCTs is usually made without difficulty by ultrasound and confirmed by histopathology post-operatively. The imaging findings have a high diagnostic value. The typical characteristics present in the sonographic images, including a dermoid plug or Rokitansky nodule, are considered strong evidence for a teratoma. Although the malignant transformation of MCTs is rare, it can occur in some cases, especially in women of advanced age. The treatment of MCTs depends on the risk of malignancy, the age of the patient, and the patient's fertility reserve requirement. In this article, we review the epidemiology, clinical symptoms, diagnosis criteria, cellular origin, and treatment of mature cystic teratomas.

Keywords: benign ovarian tumors; germ cell tumors; malignant; mature cystic teratomas; target cancer therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The incidence of three germ layers and the tissues in MCTs.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Treatment options for malignant transformations [3,21,22,27,34,35,79,85,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,94].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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