The origin of extragonadal teratoma: case report of an immature teratoma occurring in a prenatal brain.

We describe a massive congenital intracranial teratoma (MCIT), which had a normal chromosome banding pattern 46,XY karyotype and a normal diploid DNA histogram, and which produced a variety of carcinoembryonic antigens. The volume density of primitive neural components (primitive neural tubes, small undifferentiated neuroepithelial cells, immature glial fibers and pigment cell components without neurofibrillar differentiation) was estimated to be 45%. We discuss the histogenesis, pathobiology and cell cycle kinetics.