Benign Cervical Teratoma in the Adult: Report of a Rare Case with Dense Fibrosis Involving Adjacent Vital Structures

Abstract

Cervical teratomas are rare tumors occurring mainly in neonates and infants. Fewer than 20 cases involving adults have been reported. Unlike congenital pediatric cervical teratomas, which are almost always benign, most adult cervical teratomas are malignant. We describe an adult with a benign cervical teratoma that had several interesting features. First, the preoperative workup, consisting of computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and fine–needle aspiration (FNA) suggested the correct diagnosis. Second, this histologically and clinically benign tumor was densely adherent to the prevertebral fascia, the great vessels, and the trachea. The magnitude of this tissue reaction was such that the left recurrent laryngeal nerve could not be separated from the tumor. Although not previously described for benign cervical teratomas in the adult, this dense adherence to vital structures parallels the behavior of benign mediastinal teratomas and should be anticipated.