Lipid cell thecomas of the ovary.

An ovarian tumour of mixed thecomatous and lipid cell structure is described and the clinical and pathological features of this and eleven previously reported cases are reviewed. Functionally the tumours resemble lipid cell tumours in being mainly androgenic and are similar in size range and age incidence to the 'adrenal' type. Three tumours however contained hilus (Leydig) cells with Reinke crystalloids. The tumours furnish additional evidence of the stromal origin of lipid cell tumours and the term 'lipid cell thecoma' is proposed for them as indicating their main morphological affinities. It is suggested that fibromas, fibrothecomas, thecomas, lipid cell thecomas and lipid cell tumours form a series of related stromatogenous tumours of relatively simple structure with functional correlations as one moves from left to right.