An uncommon recurrence of an immature teratoma: A case report

A 24-year-old female who was previously diagnosed with an immature, right ovarian teratoma was referred to The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University (Dalian, China) due to abdominal pain. The patient had previously undergone a laparotomy and right ovarian oophorectomy. Despite this, at 10 years post-surgery, the patient developed extensive abdominal metastases, in conjunction with elevated serum cancer antigen (CA)-125 and CA19-9 levels. The patient had a high risk of recurrence, and the liver and spleen metastases were subsequently diagnosed as mature teratomas. In order to prevent the possibility of disease recurrence, frequent post-surgical follow-up, consisting of imaging analysis and the testing of serum markers, is required. Regarding the published literature, there have been no other patients presenting with a giant teratoma with associated metastasis. Due to the lack of regular follow-up appointments in China, the tumor in the present study was not recognized until too late. Therefore, to increase the successful detection of recurrent teratomas, a longer follow-up period is necessary for patients who present with a high risk of recurrence.