Teratomas of the tongue present at birth

A large teratoma of the tongue, present at birth, was successfully removed at 32 h of age. It contained immature neural tissue consisting of a loose neurofibrillary matrix with primitive neurons, rossettes, and papillary tissue. Serum alpha fetoprotein was present at 8 days of age, as reported in some patients with malignant teratomas. Our case, however, had no histologic evidence of malignancy, no serum alpha fetoprotein at 7 months of age, and no recurrence at 1 years. The four glossal tumors reported in the literature, including one with immature neural elements, were all present at birth. In 1 case, another teratoma of the tongue was found 5 months after removal of the congenital one. It may not have been a recurrence, as the mass was located in a different area of the tongue. It appears that congenital teratomas of the tongue do not behave in a malignant fashion, at least in the 5 known cases.