Will girls with Turner syndrome develop a gonadoblastoma?

In rare instances, some girls with Turner syndrome have one copy of the X chromosome in some of their cells and in other cells have one copy of the X chromosome and some genetic material from the Y chromosome. Girls normally have two X chromosomes and boys have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. Girls with Turner syndrome who have material from the Y chromosome usually do not have enough Y chromosome material to cause the development of male features. However, these girls are at risk of developing a tumor called a gonadoblastoma, which only occurs in people with abnormal development of the ovaries or testes. A gonadoblastoma is usually noncancerous (benign), but can develop into a cancerous (malignant) germ cell tumor. Some but not all doctors recommend that the gonadoblastoma be removed surgically.

Other Questions About Turner syndrome

• Will my child outgrow Turner syndrome?
• Will girls with Turner syndrome develop a gonadoblastoma?
• Who else in my family should I test for Turner syndrome?
• Where do I find other people with Turner syndrome?
• Where can caregivers of people with Turner syndrome get support?