Ovarian tumors in children and adolescents less than 20 years age.

Reports are made of the analytical results of 76 cases with ovarian neoplasma under 20 years of age who had been treated at the Kurume University Hospital from January 1952. The incidence of ovarian tumors was 5.5% in all age groups, and the youngest patient was 5 years of age, the mean age being 15 years. Histologically, these tumors comprised 48 cases (63%) of germ cell origin, showing characteristically of ovarian tumors occurring in childhood and adolescence. The total 76 cases included 40 of malignant tumors, which were subdivided into 13 of embryonal carcinoma, 12 of solid teratoma, 9 of dysgerminoma, 5 of simple carcinoma, and 1 case of granulosa cell tumor. In all the cases the clinical stage was important factor for prognosis, and the prognosis of embryonal carcinoma was poorest, with only 4 cases of survival out of 13 cases. But the prognosis of dysgerminoma was comparatively good, with 8 cases of survival out of 9 cases. It is worthy of note that this tumor was highly radiosensitive, since 3 out of 4 cases at stage III and stage IV had been surviving for over 5 years.