Yolk Sac Tumor in Adults

Comments:
Ovarian Yolk Sac Tumor (YST) in Adults: In adults, YST is usually seen in peri- or postmenopausal women as a result of dedifferentiation within a somatic epithelial malignancy such as endometrioid carcinoma, serous carcinoma, or carcinosarcoma. It is of somatic origin in contrast to the germ cell origin in YST in children and adolescents.

Morphologically, somatically-derived YST in adults can show all of the architectural patterns of pure YST in the younger age group. Areas of glandular differentiation are quite common and they appear to merge with the carcinoma component. The prognosis is much worse than YST in younger patients due to its association with the epithelial malignancy.

This image shows microcystic/reticular pattern from a case of yolk sac tumor in an adult female.