What happened, in summary

A 58-year-old postmenopausal woman was found to have a large left ovarian mass after two months of lower abdominal pain. Surgery and pathology showed a rare Stage I squamous cell carcinoma arising within a mature cystic teratoma. The cancer was confined to the ovary, lymph nodes were negative and peritoneal washings showed no malignant cells. She underwent comprehensive staging surgery, including hysterectomy, removal of both ovaries and fallopian tubes, omentectomy and lymph-node dissection. Because of the large tumor and challenges with close surveillance, she then completed four cycles of paclitaxel and carboplatin chemotherapy. Cervical testing also found high-risk HPV and a low-grade cervical lesion, but there was no invasive cervical cancer. Testing of the ovarian cancer itself was HPV DNA-negative and p16-negative, supporting an ovarian origin rather than spread from the cervix. She achieved complete remission after treatment. At her most recent follow-up in June 2026, 24 months after surgery, there was no evidence of ovarian-cancer recurrence.