Pancreatic tissue in teratoma.

Seventeen teratomas with well-differentiated pancreatic tissue were found in 469 cases obtained from the files in our respective departments for the last ten years. These cases included 11 cases with a teratoma located in the anterior mediastinum, five cases with a teratoma located in the sacrococcygeal region, and one case with a teratoma located in the retroperitoneal space. The islets of Langerhans, as well as exocrine elements, were usually found in the pancreatic tissue. The blood glucose level was mildly depressed in one case of five teratomas, and a very high amylase level was observed in one other case. These levels were estimated in the fistulous discharge from the teratoma. Therefore, we felt that the pancreatic tissue observed in the teratomas was similar in nature to normal pancreatic tissue both histologically and functionally.