Dysgerminoma and pregnancy

Abstract

Introduction. Dysgerminomas are germ cell ovarian tumors. They affect young females, prevalently during childhood. The problem arises when dysgerminoma is diagnosed in women of reproductive age who have never given birth and require a surgical procedure. Case outline. A 28-year-old patient was admitted to hospital in week 26 of her first pregnancy. The reason for patient hospitalization was the growth of the isthmic myoma diagnosed by her obstetriciangynecologist in the primary care unit. By examining the medical history of the patient, the following was revealed: A year and a half before pregnancy she was diagnosed with left ovary dysgerminoma. The patient?s medical history led us to conclude that uterine myoma was a misdiagnosis and that the actual diagnosis was dysgerminoma of the right ovary. The surgery was performed after the fetal viability had been achieved. Conclusion. Malignant ovarian tumours may occur in young women during pregnancy and increase in size significantly in a short period of time, although their recurrence is not expected in such a short period of time after surgical treatment. This poses a great challenge for obstetricians.