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Case of the Month: March 2026

Clinical history

A 21-year-old nulliparous woman complains of lower abdominal heaviness. She takes an oral contraceptive and is in a monogamous relationship.

On examination, she has a normal-sized, non-tender uterus, and a right adnexal mass is palpated.

Her pregnancy test is negative.

On ultrasound, the mass appears both cystic and solid measuring 9 cm.

Questions:

  1. List five differential diagnoses of a pelvic mass.

  2. Describe the histologic findings in the image and identify the labeled structures.

  3. Given a pathologist’s suspicion of an ovarian neoplasm, what is the primary diagnostic consideration, and what essential exclusions are required for a definitive diagnosis?

How to participate

Take a look at the images.

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If you are a medical student at the University of Toronto, you can also:

Join the Special Interest Group in Laboratory Medicine to learn more about Laboratory Medicine.

Laboratory Medicine and the study of disease for medical students

Medical students in the gross lab