The brenner tumor of the ovary has been the topic of voluminous clinical and pathologic literatures since its original description by Macnaughton Jones in 1898. One of the major problems confronting most investigators of this uncommon neoplasm has been the question of histogenesis. There is general agreement that the tumor is derived from surface epithelium, as are the serous and mucinous cystadenomas. Recently we have experienced a case of Brenner tumor which was found in the wall of a mucinous cystadenoma. A brief review of the literatures and a discussion concerning Brenner tumor are presented in this paper.

Formalin fixed cervical tissues from 169 patients were grouped and investigated by a modified mixed cell agglutination reaction(MCAR) for the detection of isoantigens A, B and O(H). Isoantigens were demonstrated in most of the normal and metaplastic epithelium. In dysplasia, the severer the degree, the more frequent the loss of isoantigen was detected. In cervical cancer, majority was negative for MCAR and this antigenic loss was more prominent in invasive carcinoma than in microinvasive and in situ carcinoma. In summary, general benign mucosa, less dysplastic change, in situ carcinoma and keratinizing invasive carcinoma were demonstrated higher frequencies of isoantigens as compared with their worse counterparts. Normal epithelium nearer to the tumor was detected frequent loss of antigenic properties and this might be helpful feature for presumptive diagnosis when diagnostic biopsy was failed to obtain the cancer tissue proper. This phenomenon suggested functional dedifferentiation preceding morphologic anaplasia as other reports suggested.

Mixed mesodermal tumor and carcinosarcoma are well recognized disease entities in the uterus. It is not widely known, however, that histologically identical tumors also occur in the ovary. Most patients were reported postmenopausal and iparous. An enlarging abdomen with a palpable mass was the most common clinical presentation. Though grossly carcinosarcoma and mixed mesodermal tumors are usually indistinguishable, mixed mesodermal tumors contain heterologous components, such as striated muscle cells, cartilage, osteoid and fat, as well as carcinosarcoma. The disease is usually advanced when diagnosed and provides bad prognosis.

A case of mixed mesodermal tumor of the ovary is presented. The patient was 62 years old postmenopausal woman and the numbers of parity and delivery were twice without an experience of abortion. Though abdominal mass was incidentally detected one year ago, newly found diabetes mellitus postponed the operation. These days it has rapidly grown up to child head size accompanied with abdominal pain, and right salpingoophorectomy was done, which measured about 15cm in maximum dimension and 1,000gm in weight. The tumor is largely cystic remaining peripheral red brown to grey white solid part. Histologic findings are characterized by papillary, well differentiated and undifferentiated carcinoma, and spindle cell sarcoma merged with myxoid and chondroid islands. The cartilage is pleomorphic add anaplastic.