Ovarian cancer in children and adolescents: A review of 15 cases

Fifteen patients, admitted between 1961 and 1975, from 8 to 19 years of age, with malignant ovarian tumors were reviewed. The histology was: dysgerminoma in 5, common “epithelial tumor” in 5, immature teratoma in 4, granulosa cell tumor in one. Of the 15 patients, 5 are alive and well, 4 of these had dysgerminoma, 1 had a papillary cystadenocarcinoma. Of 3 patients with dysgerminoma in Stage III, 2 are among the survivors. Dysgerminoma, in contrast with other types of germ cell tumors, may be curable even in advanced stage.