Testicular teratoma demanded in-depth pathological exploration to rule out malignancy: A pediatric case report

Prepubertal testicular tumors can be both benign and malignant. Although most testicular teratomas are benign, some immature cases include malignant transformation or the mixed type with yolk sac tumor and, occasionally, it is challenging to rule out malignancy.

We present a case of immature testicular teratoma in a 7-month-old infant, whose alpha-fetoprotein level was sequentially elevated following orchidectomy. Since malignancy could not be ruled out, we performed whole body imaging and in-depth pathological exploration. GLYPICAN3, OCT3/4, and SOX2 staining revealed no evidence of malignancy. The patient was finally diagnosed with benign immature teratoma, and has been free from recurrence for 3 years.

Here, we describe the case report, as well as all the comprehensive diagnostic tests that we performed in order to rule out the malignant component.