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Malignant cervical teratoma: report of a case in a newborn

  • Head and Neck Oncology
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Abstract

Malignant cervical teratoma (MCT) usually appears in newborns as an enlarging mass of the neck that causes respiratory distress, requiring prompt airway control. We report a case of MCT in an infant electively delivered at 32 weeks to prevent airway impairment. At first, the preoperative diagnosis was hygroma of the neck, and a surgical excision was performed when the newborn was 9 days old. Diagnosis was benign extragonadic immature teratoma, but it was changed in MCT when cervical metastases appeared and the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level increased. Subsequent surgical procedures and chemotherapy were necessary. The child has been free from disease and healthy for 7 years since the last surgery. The preoperative diagnosis of MCT is difficult because of its rarity and non-specific clinical findings. Surgical excision is required for an adequate cure and airway repair; a long-term follow-up is mandatory to promptly treat any recurrence.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital of Varese, Varese, Italy

    Luca Muscatello & Marco Giudice

  2. Department of Pathology, Hospital of Varese, Varese, Italy

    Maddalena Feltri

  3. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ospedale di Circolo, Viale Borri, 21100, Varese, Italy

    Marco Giudice

Authors
  1. Luca Muscatello
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  2. Marco Giudice
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  3. Maddalena Feltri
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Correspondence to Marco Giudice.

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Muscatello, L., Giudice, M. & Feltri, M. Malignant cervical teratoma: report of a case in a newborn. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 262, 899–904 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-005-0917-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-005-0917-2

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