The Cystic teratoma is an encapsulated tumor that can be available in benign or malignant form. The histology of this tumor reveals the presence of tissue and organ component and it contains derivation of the three fundamental germ layers found in the human body.
In most cases, it is easy to distinguish the three germ layers in the cystic teratoma. The tissues in the teratoma may not look like the adjacent tissue but the configuration would be more disparate.
The cystic teratoma is known to contain all organs like the human body. They may have hairs in some cases. There are with teeth and bones and in some of the advanced cases there are eyes, torso and hands and feet with limbs.
In normal cases, the tumor may not contain any major organs like the brain liver or lungs but it may contain rudimentary tissue cells that are found in the organs. In some advanced cases, the teratoma may reproduce a cyst and with the passage of time, it may also develop a structure in the cyst that looks like a fetus.
Since the teratomas are encapsulated, they are benign and cannot spread to other parts of the body. The cystic teratoma is available in two forms, it can be mature or it can be immature cyst.
When the teratoma is benign, it is mostly found in males, while the matured cystic tumor that is also an advanced teratoma is mostly found in females. The disease is classified based on the histology of the cystic teratoma.
