Cervical yolk sac tumor: a case report and literature review

Yolk sac tumor (YST) is the third most common highly malignant germ cell tumor, predominantly arising from the ovary and testis. The standard treatment for ovarian YST is surgery combined with BEP (bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin) chemotherapy in which bleomycin has a cumulative lifetime dose and pulmonary toxicity. Advancements in treatment have yielded favorable prognoses for YST patients. Here, we present the clinical, imaging, pathological features, and individualized treatment of a case of primary cervical YST which is extremely rare in previous reports.

A 46-year-old female patient with primary cervical YST received neoadjuvant chemotherapy(1 cycle of paclitaxel+carboplatin, 2 cycles of BEP), radical surgery and 4 cycle of adjuvant BEP chemotherapy. The patient achieved complete remission after initial treatment but developed disease recurrence shortly thereafter, with confirmed BEP resistance. Salvage treatment with TC (albumin-bound paclitaxel and carboplatin) combined with bevacizumab was then administered, leading to a durable complete response; the patient subsequently received bevacizumab as maintenance therapy.

YST of the cervix is extremely rare. This article reviews the clinical characteristics, treatment, and survival of advanced cervical YST. In addition, the complete response of this patient provides a new option for patients with recurrent and metastatic cervical YST, and TC regimen combined with VEGF inhibitors is expected to serve as a salvage treatment.