Karyotyping and DNA flow cytometry of metastatic ovarian yolk sac tumor

We karyotyped a metastasis composed of pure yolk sac tumor derived from a primary ovarian germ cell tumor with two components: a dermoid cyst [DNA index (DI) 1.0] and a pure yolk sac tumor (DI 1.88). The metastatic yolk sac tumor had a hypertriploid karyotype and a DI of 1.78 and lacked the germ cell tumor marker i(12p). The absence of this marker in a metastasis from a tumor with a dermoid cyst component might be indicative for a pathogenesis of the yolk sac tumor similar to that of a dermoid cyst and different from that of dysgerminoma.