Adenocarcinoma in a benign cystic teratoma of the ovary: report of a case with a long survival period.

We report a case of adenocarcinoma associated with benign cystic teratoma (dermoid cyst) of the ovary in which the patient has survived for a long time. A 62-year-old woman underwent abdominal total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy on March 16, 1976 because of a large left ovarian tumor. There were no pathologic findings in other intra-abdominal organs. The tumor was cystic, contained dark and mucinous sebaceous material with hair, and weighed 15 kg. Papillary growths protruded into the cavity in some areas of the wall. Microscopically and immunohistochemically, the tumor was characterized as a mucinous adenocarcinoma associated with dermoid cyst, suggesting a possible gastrointestinal origin. After the surgery, she was treated with chemotherapy and is alive and well more than 15 years later. Our review of the literature indicates that, while it is widely held that patients with adenocarcinoma associated with dermoid cyst do not survive, many in fact do survive for a long period after surgery.