What are the symptoms of malignant teratoma

Ovarian teratoma is a common ovarian germ cell tumor. It is common in women of childbearing age. It accounts for about 15% of the total number of primary ovarian tumors, of which 95%-98% are benign mature teratomas and only 2%-5% are malignant teratomas. So, what are the symptoms of malignant teratomas?

What are the symptoms of malignant teratoma?

Teratomas may present with various clinical symptoms and manifestations due to their different locations, multiple complications, and obvious malignant tendencies:

① Painless mass: This is the most common symptom of teratoma. It is usually round and cystic with clear boundaries and uneven hardness. Even bony nodules can be palpated. Exophytic tumors are common in the midline areas such as the sacrococcygeal, occipital, forehead, and nose. Sacrococcygeal teratomas can be divided into three clinical types according to their location: overt, latent, and mixed.

②Compression and cavity obstruction symptoms: Mediastinal teratomas can often compress the respiratory tract and cause choking, dyspnea, and distended neck veins; retroperitoneal teratomas often cause abdominal pain and can cause intestinal obstruction. Pelvic and sacrococcygeal occult teratomas are often diagnosed due to constipation, difficulty defecating, and urinary retention.

③ Acute symptoms of abnormal tumor changes: Ovarian and testicular teratomas may cause ovarian or testicular torsion and necrosis, manifested by severe pain and corresponding local symptoms; when secondary infection and intracystic bleeding occur in teratomas, the tumor may often increase rapidly, with obvious local tenderness, and accompanied by fever, anemia, shock and other systemic infection or blood loss symptoms; tumors in the retroperitoneum, ovaries, pelvis, sacrum and coccyx may also suddenly rupture and cause massive bleeding, hemoperitoneum, shock and other dangerous manifestations.

④ Symptoms of tumor malignancy: When malignant teratomas and benign teratomas become malignant, they often show rapid tumor growth and loss of original elasticity. For exophytic tumors, superficial veins may be dilated and congested, and local skin may be infiltrated with increased skin temperature. Lymph node enlargement and lung and bone metastasis may occur through lymphatic and blood circulation, and systemic symptoms such as weight loss, anemia, and tumor fever may also occur.