Epidermoid cyst and primary trabecular carcinoid of the ovary: case report

In the literature and in our experience epidermoid cysts and carcinoids of the ovary are rare benign pathologies which occur more frequently in younger women. They probably are a one-sided development of a teratoma, which arise from germ cells after the first meiotic division due to either a meiosis I or a meiosis II non dysjunction. Diagnosis is possible only with histological examination and immunohistochemistry which allow us to differentiate carcinoids from sex-cord tumors and ependymomas. Prognosis is very good because the rate of malignant transformation is 1.4%-2% and the rate of complications is 14%. Thus conservative surgical therapy associated with long-term follow-up is the treatment of choice.