What are Sex Cord Stromal Tumors?

Sex Cord Stromal Tumors
Case 1. (A) Magnetic resonance imaging of the uterus showing barrel shaped cervix. (B) Gross feature of the uterus showing bulging cervix. (C) Microscopic finding of the cervix showing infiltrative endocervical glands (H&E, ×200). (D) Microscopic finding of ovary with tumorlets of sex cord stromal tumors with annular tubules (H&E, ×100). (E) Microscopic finding of a hamartomatous polyp from the colon (H&E, ×100). (F) Negative staining of LKB1 was noted at the tumor cells (×200). Minimal deviation adenocarcinoma of the cervix and tumorlets of sex-cord stromal tumor with annular tubules of the ovary in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. Kwon SY, Choe MS, Lee HW, Lee HJ, Shin SJ, Cho CH - Journal of gynecologic oncology (2013). Not Altered. CC.

Sex cord stromal tumors are groups of tumors composed of granulosa cells, theca cells, sertoli cells, leydig cells, and fibroblasts of stromal origin, singly or in various combinations.

Examples of sex cord stromal tumors include: 

  • Fibromas
  • Fibrothecomas
  • Granulosa cell tumors
  • Sertoli-leydig cell tumors
  • Thecomas
  • Hilus cell tumors aka pure leydig cell tumors
  • Gonadoblastoma
  • Pregnancy luteoma