Disseminated ovarian Growing Teratoma Syndrome: a case report highlighting surgical safety issues

The ovarian Growing Teratoma Syndrome (GTS) is a rare condition among patients with primary Non-Seminomatous Germ Cell Tumours (NSGCT) presenting with enlarging masses during or after appropriate chemotherapy in the context of normalized serum markers. Several modes of dissemination are suggested, with the most frequent site of metastasis being the peritoneum. We report a case of a young patient with primary ovarian mixed NSGCT, who presented with Growing Teratoma Syndrome not only in the peritoneum but also within a trocar site after an initial surgery consisting in the laparoscopic morcellation and extraction of the ovarian neoplasm. Beside the rarity of this clinical entity, it also demonstrates the utmost importance of the safe laparoscopic management of all complex ovarian masses.