Yolk sac tumor in a case of testicular feminization syndrome

A 17 month old who had been diagnosed as having testicular feminization syndrome (noted during inguinal herniorrhaphy) was operated on because of an abdominal mass that had a high serum level of alpha-fetoprotein. Histologically, the lesion was a yolk sac tumor. The alpha-fetoprotein level normalized within 2 months of the surgery, through the administration of adjunctive chemotherapy containing cisplatinum. The patient is disease-free 4 years postoperatively. When performing inguinal herniorrhaphy in a girl, the surgeon should be prepared to deal with testicular feminization syndrome. If gonadal neoplasm is deniable at the time of diagnosis, careful follow-up examinations are needed until completion of the development of secondary sex characteristics.