A rare cause of vaginal bleeding in a 7-month-old female infant

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Published on: October 10, 2025

Duane S Duke1, Edward Y Yoo, Christopher Newton

  • 1Department of Surgery, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA 19134, USA.

Journal of Pediatric Surgery
|March 25, 2008
PubMed

Insights

A rare ovarian tumor, sclerosing type ovarian sex cord stromal tumor (OSCST), presented in a 7-month-old infant. This case is the youngest reported, highlighting hormonal effects in infants.

Area of Science:

  • Gynecologic Oncology
  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Pathology

Background:

  • Ovarian sex cord stromal tumors (OSCST) are rare neoplasms.
  • Sclerosing-type OSCST is an exceptionally uncommon subtype.
  • These tumors can produce sex hormones, leading to precocious puberty.

Observation:

  • A 7-month-old female infant presented with vaginal bleeding and significant vellus hair growth.
  • The infant was diagnosed with a sclerosing-type OSCST.
  • This is the youngest patient documented with this specific tumor type.

Findings:

  • The sclerosing-type OSCST in this infant demonstrated significant sex hormone production.
  • Clinical manifestations included precocious puberty signs: vaginal bleeding and hypertrichosis.
  • The tumor's hormonal activity was the primary driver of the observed symptoms.

Implications:

  • This case expands the known age range for sclerosing-type OSCST presentation.
  • It underscores the importance of considering rare ovarian tumors in pediatric precocious puberty evaluations.
  • Further research may elucidate the specific mechanisms of hormone production in pediatric OSCST.

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