Journal of the European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy

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Disseminated ovarian Growing Teratoma Syndrome: a case ­report highlighting surgical safety issues

M. De Cuypere1,2, A. Martinez2, F. Kridelka1, G. Balague3, V. Maisongrosse4, G. Ferron2

1CHU of Liège, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 4000 Liège, Belgium.

2Institut Claudius Regaud, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Surgical Oncology, 31000 Toulouse, France.

3Institut Claudius Regaud, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Radiology, 31000 Toulouse, France.

4Institut Claudius Regaud, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, 31000 Toulouse, France.

Correspondence at: mdecuypere@chu.ulg.ac.be

Keywords:

Growing Teratoma Syndrome, ovarian germ cell tumour, port site metastasis, iatrogenic peritoneal dissemination


Published online: Dec 31 2014

Abstract

The ovarian Growing Teratoma Syndrome (GTS) is a rare condition among patients with primary Non-Seminomatous Germ Cell Tumours (NSGCT) presenting with enlarging masses during or after appropriate chemotherapy in the context of normalized serum markers. Several modes of dissemination are suggested, with the most frequent site of metastasis being the peritoneum.
We report a case of a young patient with primary ovarian mixed NSGCT, who presented with Growing Teratoma Syndrome not only in the peritoneum but also within a trocar site after an initial surgery consisting in the laparoscopic morcellation and extraction of the ovarian neoplasm.
Beside the rarity of this clinical entity, it also demonstrates the utmost importance of the safe laparoscopic management of all complex ovarian masses.