Abstract
Steroid cell tumors (SCTs) are a rare subgroup of sex cord stromal tumors of the ovary. The incidence of ovarian SCT is only 0.1% of all ovarian tumors. There are three subtypes of SCTs according to cellular origin: Leydig cell tumor arising from Leydig cells in the hilus, stromal luteoma arising from ovarian stroma and SCT (not otherwise specified, NOS) when the lineage is unknown. As far as SCTs (NOS) is concerned, they constitute about 56% of all SCTs. This type of tumor can be functional and produce testosterone, leading to virilization, hyperandrogenism, and amenorrhea. The NOS subtype can also produce different steroids and in turn have widely variant clinical manifestations. Here we present a case of a 25-year-old woman who complained of sudden hirsutism, acne and dysfunctional uterine bleeding. Ultrasound showed a solid nodule in the left ovary and salpingo-oophorectomy was performed. Histology confirmed it was a SCT (NOS) of the left ovary. She has been on follow-up for 5 years with no recurrence.
References
Bhagat R, Bodal VK, Gupta N, Garg P. Steroid Cell Tumour of Ovary – A Rare Case Report. J Clin Diagn Res. 2016;10(9):ED06-ED07.
Alshaikh OM, Laframboise S, Asa SL, Clarke B, Mete O, Ezzat S. Malignant Ovarian Steroid Cell Tumor Causing Severe Hyperandrogenism: Case Report and Review Of The Literature. AACE Clinical Case Rep. 2017;3(3)e269-e271.
Powell JL, Dulaney DP, Shiro BC. Androgen-secreting steroid cell tumor of the ovary. South Med J. 2000;93(12):1201-1204.
Swain J, Sharma S, Prakash V, Agrawal NK, Singh SK. Steroid cell tumor: a rare cause of hirsutism in a female. Endocrinol Diabetes Metab Case Rep. 2013;2013:130030.
Lee J, John VS, Liang SX, D’Agostino CA, Menzin AW. Metastatic Malignant Ovarian Steroid Cell Tumor: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. Case Rep Obstet Gynecol. 2016;2016:6184573.
Del Valle Rubido C, Lazaro-Carrasco de la Fuente J, Sanchez Martinez C, Nebrada Calvo L, Repolles Escarda M. Ovarian Steroid Cell Tumor Associated to Endometrial Hyperplasia and Presenting as Postmenopausal Vaginal Bleeding. Gynecol Obstet (Sunnyvale). 2015;5(9):316.
Boyraz G, Selcuk I, Yusifli Z, Usubutun A, Gunalp S. Steroid cell tumor of the ovary in an adolescent: a rare case report. Case Rep Med. 2013;2013:527698.
Hayes MC, Scully RE. Ovarian steroid cell tumors (not otherwise specified). A clinicopathological analysis of 63 cases. Am J Surg Pathol. 1987;11(11):835-845.
Patil VS, VemiReddy PR, Taqdees A, Arakeri SU. Steroid Cell Tumor of the Ovary – A Rare Case Report and Review of Literature. Int J Appl Basic Med Res. 2019;9(3):185-187.
Paraskevas M, Scully RE. Hilus cell tumor of the ovary. A clinicopathological analysis of 12 Reinke crystal-positive and nine crystal-negative cases. Int J Gynecol Pathol. 1989;8(4):299-310.
Zang L, Ye M, Yang G, et al., Accessory ovarian steroid cell tumor producing testosterone and cortisol: A case report. Medicine (Baltimore). 2017;96(37):e7998.
Jiang W, Tao X, Fang F, Zhang S, Xu C. Benign and malignant ovarian steroid cell tumors, not otherwise specified: case studies, comparison, and review of the literature. J Ovarian Res. 2013;6:53.
Homesley HD, Bundy BN, Hurteau JA, Roth LM. Bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin combination therapy of ovarian granulosa cell tumors and other stromal malignancies: A Gynecologic Oncology Group study. Gynecol Oncol. 1999;72(2):131-137.
Wang PH, Chao HT, Lee WL. Use of a long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist for treatment of steroid cell tumors of the ovary. Fertil Steril. 1998;69(2):353-355.
Pitale PS, Shrikhande AA, Achanta PS. Steroid Cell Tumor of Ovary-A Rare Case Report and Review of Literature. Indian J Endocrinol Metab. 2021;25(5):466-469.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Carmen Tong