CENTRAL NEUROCYTOMA ARISING WITHIN A MATURE CYSTIC TERATOMA OF THE OVARY

Tumors of central nervous system elements are uncommon in cystic terat omas and tend to be derived from glial or primitive neuroectodermal ce lls. We describe the case of a 23-year-old woman with a central neuroc ytoma arising in an otherwise mature cystic teratoma of the ovary, His tologically, the neurocytoma was composed of collections of oligodendr oglioma like cells in a fibrillary matrix. Cytologically the tumor was identical in appearance to central neurocytomas occurring within the adult brain. It expressed synaptophysin and neuron-specific enolase, c onfirming its neuronal lineage, but not glial fibrillary acidic protei n. The site of the tumor recapitulated the typical location of neurocy tomas adjacent to the lateral ventricle in that it abutted onto an epe ndyma-lined cyst within the teratoma. The patient remains well and fre e of tumor 1 year after cystectomy, in keeping with favorable follow-u p data for surgically excised central neurocytomas within the brain.