Three Cases of Endodermal Sinus Tumor of the Ovary / 대한산부인과학회잡지

ABSTRACT

The endodermal sinus tumor (EST) is the second most common form of malignant germ cell tumor of the ovary. It accounts for 22% of germ cell lesions and the median age of the patients is 19 years. Three fourths of the patients are initially seen with a combination of abdominal pain and abdominal or pelvic mass. Acute pain is caused by torsion of the tumor and the symptoms are acute and may lead to the diagnosis of acute appendicitis or a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. The tumor is usually large with most tumors measuring between 10 and 30 cm diameter. These neoplasms are highly malignant. In the past, these tumors were once almost uniformly fatal within 2 years of diagnosis, but recent advances in treating the EST of the ovary with the combination chemotherapy result in improvement of the prognosis. Management of younger patients with early stage ovarian EST who desire to preserve fertility can be a challenging problem, and treatment strategies which can save ovarian function must be considered. We have experienced three cases of endodermal sinus tumor in three women (Ic, 18 years; IIc, 20 years; Ic and right proximal femur metastasis, 21 years) and report them with eager review of literatures.