Cystic benign teratoma of the neck in adult.

Teratomas are embryonal neoplasms that arise when totipotential germ cells escape the developmental control of primary organizers and give rise to tumors containing tissue derived from all three blastodermic layers. Teratomas have been reported to occur in various sites and organs. Teratoma of the cervical neck are relatively rare in adulthood. It usually extends from the neck to the thoracic cavity causing local mass effect. In most of the cases intrauterine diagnosis is possible by ultrasound. Because of dyspnea due to mass effect, this condition is treated promptly after birth. However cases of teratoma in adulthood with supraclavicular localization have been reported rarely in the literature. The presented case is of a 25-year-old female with a cervical mass. Histological examination revealed a benign mature teratoma. The patient has been disease free for more than nine years after surgical removal of a neck teratoma.