Adenosquamous carcinoma arising in a mature cystic teratoma of the ovary: a case report and review of the literature.

A 57-year-old woman with Stage Ia adenosquamous carcinoma arising in a mature cystic teratoma was presented. Pathologically, poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma were intermingled in the solitary nodule inside of the cyst. She received chemotherapy after operation (total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and omentectomy). She is living without evidence of disease 3 years post-treatment. Adenosquamous carcinoma is a rare malignant component in mature cystic teratomas. We reviewed 7 cases of this cancer arising in mature cystic teratomas, including this case. Three cases with Stage Ia were living and well for 9 months to 5 years. Three other cases with Stage Ic, II, and IIIc died of their disease at 6, 13 and 2 postoperative months, respectively. These results might suggest that the prognosis of the tumor is worse in advanced stages than that of squamous cell carcinoma in mature cystic teratomas.