Sertoli cell and sertoli-Leydig cell tumors of the ovary. A report of three cases with ultrastructural findings.

Three tumors of the ovary containing Sertoli cells were studied by light and electron microscopy. Two of these tumors were well-differentiated neoplasms with epithelial cells often forming tubules. These cells were cylindrically shaped, contained round to oval nuclei and stood on a thin basement membrane. The cytoplasm was fibrillary and showed rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, lipid droplets and secretory granules. At the luminal borders the cells were often irregular and displayed apocrine-like activity. Having compared our data with results of studies from the literature of normal Sertoli cells, Sertoli cell adenomas of the testis and cells from other parts of the male reproductive system and those of normal ovarian stroma, we conclude that the Sertoli cell is most probably the cell of origin of these tumors. The third tumor was undifferentiated with a sarcomatoid appearance and contained islands of cartilage, which we consider to be metaplastic.