Brenner tumours are uncommon tumours that are part of the surface epithelial-stromal tumour group of ovarian neoplasm

Ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from the ovary. Symptoms are frequently very subtle early on and may include: bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination, and are easily confused with other illnesses....

s.

The majority of these tumours are benign

Benign

A benign tumor is a tumor that lacks the ability to metastasize. Common examples of benign tumors include moles and uterine fibroids.The term "benign" implies a mild and nonprogressive disease. Indeed, many kinds of benign tumors are harmless to human health...

. However, they can be malignant

Malignant

Malignancy is the tendency of a medical condition, especially tumors, to become progressively worse and to potentially result in death. Malignancy in cancers is characterized by anaplasia, invasiveness, and metastasis...

.

They are most frequently found as incidental findings on pelvic examination

Pelvic examination

A pelvic examination, also pelvic exam, is a physical examination of the female pelvic organs.Broadly, it can be divided into the external examination and internal examination.It is also called "Bimanual Exam" & "Manual Uterine Palpation"....

 or at laparotomy

Laparotomy

A laparotomy is a surgical procedure involving a large incision through the abdominal wall to gain access into the abdominal cavity. It is also known as coeliotomy.- Terminology :...

.

Brenner tumours very rarely can occur in other locations, including testis.

Presentation

On gross pathological

Pathology

Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....

 examination, they are solid, sharply circumscribed and pale yellow-tan in colour. 90% are unilateral (arising in one ovary, the other is unaffected). The tumours can vary in size from less than 1 centimetre (0.393700787401575 in) to 30 centimetres (11.8 in). Borderline and malignant Brenner tumours are possible but each are rare.

Diagnosis

Histologically

Histology

Histology is the study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues of plants and animals. It is performed by examining cells and tissues commonly by sectioning and staining; followed by examination under a light microscope or electron microscope...

, there are nests of transitional-type epithelial cells with longitudinal nuclear grooves (coffee

Coffee

Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...

 bean nuclei) lying in abundant fibrous stroma.

Similar conditions

Transitional cell carcinoma is an even rarer entity, in which neoplastic transitional epithelial cells similar to transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder are seen in the ovary, without the characteristic stromal/epithelial pattern of a Brenner tumour.

Eponym

It is named for Fritz Brenner, who characterized it in 1907. The term "Brenner tumor" was first used by Robert Meyer, in 1932.

External links

• medcyclopaedia
• Histology at University of Utah
  University of Utah
  The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...