Objective: To investigate the clinical feature, pathological morphology, special histopathological subtype and immunohistochemical characteristic of gonadoblastoma.
Methods: Three patients of gonadoblastoma treated from 2014 to 2020 were enrolled, and the clinical characteristics, histological morphology and immunophenotype were analyzed, and the literatures were also reviewed.
Result: Three phenotypical females were 14,17 and 27 years old. Case 1 was 46,XX with normal gonadal development. Case 2 was 46,XY and case 3 was chromosomal chimeric type (46, XY 90%/45,X 10%), both with dysgenetic gonads. Microscopically, the morphology of classic type was observed in all cases more or less, manifesting small nests of primitive germ cells and surrounding clustered sex cord-like cells, usually with Call-Exner like bodies and calcification. In additon, the morphology of special subtype can be seen in case 1,exhibiting cord-like tumor cells, which was segmentated by cellular fibrous stroma. Cases 2 and 3 were accompanied by dysgerminoma components. Immunohistochemically,all the primal germ cells were positive for OCT3/4, PLAP and CDll7 , and sexcord-like cells were positive for inhibin, SF-1, SOX9 and FOXL2 . Patients were followed up for 10 years, 6 years and 4 years respectively without recurrence.
Conclusion: Gonadoblastoma is a rare germ cell-sex cord stromal tumor, which is usually accompanied by gonadal hypoplasia. As a special subtype, dissecting gonadoblastoma will be easily confused with dysgerminoma/seminoma, but the prognosis is better. So we should improve the understanding of this subtype and avoid overdiagnosis.
Keywords: gonadoblastoma; dissecting gonadoblastoma; disorder of sex development.