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Dermoid Cyst (Benign Cystic Teratoma)

Etiology: • unknown

Pathogenesis: • proliferation of a meiotic germ cell

Epidemiology: • reproductive age women

General Gross Description: • smooth external surface • usually filled with hair and cheesy material (keratin) • may also see teeth, soft neural tissue, fat, bone and cartilage

General Microscopic Description: • mature skin and hair predominate • tissue derived from all three germ layers endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm • any immature tissue implies malignant potential

Clinical Correlations: • reproductive age women with unilateral mass (10-15% bilateral) • generally incidental finding

References: Cotran, Kumar,and Robbins. Pathologic Basis of Disease.W B Saunders: Philadelphia, Pa. 1994. p.1072-3