Childhood teratoma in Zaria, Nigeria

Eighty-eight teratomas of diverse sites were seen and managed in our institution between January 1972 and December 1991, in children between the ages of one day and 10 years. Forty seven (53%) tumours were in the sacroccoccygeal region, 17 (19.3%) were of gonadal origin (16 ovarian and one testicular), 13 (15%) were cervical, 4 retroperitoneal. The rest were teratomas of rarer sites. The female/male ratio for various sites were:-sacroccoccygeal teratoma (SCT) 4:1, gonadal 16:1, cervical 1:3, retroperitoneal was seen in 4 patients, all females and for rarer sites 1:1. Overall ratio was 3:1. There were 61 infants and 27 older children. Four SCTs, three of ovarian origin, one cervical and the testicular teratoma were malignant giving an overall malignancy rate of 9%. Serum alpha-foeto protein was not consistently estimated, but was elevated in those patients with malignant teratomas in whom it was sought.