European Journal of Gynaecological Oncology (EJGO) is published by IMR Press from Volume 40 Issue 1 (2019). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.
Ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma producing alpha-fetoprotein: case report
Background: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a useful tumor marker for germ cell tumors of the ovary and is valuable for both diagnosis and follow-up. However, it is very rare for an epithelial ovarian carcinoma to secrete AFP. Case: We report a case of a 63-year-old woman with a ovarian clear cell carcinoma with serous component of less than 10%. Both histological components were producing AFP as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. After surgery and chemotherapy, AFP decreased to normal range. The patient also had elevated CA-125 levels but the tumor was negative for CA-125 which suggested the increased CA-125 might have been due to the associated ascites. Conclusion: Ovarian clear cell type carcinomas rarely secrete only AFP and it might be the single marker that could be used in follow-up.