Metastatic teratoma in a young female: A rare case of bowel involvement

Introduction: Teratocarcinoma is a type of germ cell tumor that can occur in the ovaries or testes. It has features of both teratoma and carcinoma. It is considered a malignant tumor and can be aggressive, sometimes spreading to other parts of the body, such as the peritoneum. Treatment typically involves a combination of surgery and chemotherapy, although the tumor’s response to treatment can vary. Case Report: This article discusses a rare instance of ovarian teratocarcinoma with peritoneal metastasis that is unresponsive to chemotherapy in a 24-year-old female patient. The patient has a positive family history of hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient underwent two sessions of chemotherapy but the tumor was unresponsive and the β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) levels kept rising but a-fetoprotein levels decreased. Discussion: The diagnosis of teratocarcinoma in this case was hypothesized on histopathologic examination. Its heterogeneity was demonstrated by the aggressive behavior of bulky peritoneal carcinomatosis and resistance to the treatment. Throughout the clinical course this teratocarcinoma was resistant to bleomycin, cisplatin, etoposide (BEP) and paclitaxel, cisplatin, ifosfamide, and mesna (TIP) regimens which allows for in depth exploration of unique teratocarcinoma care. Conclusion: This case exemplifies that rare cases of ovarian teratocarcinoma are chemotherapy resistant and difficult to treat hence new and better treatment strategies should be explored.