| Extracranial germ cell tumor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A mixed germ cell tumor | |
| Specialty | Oncology |
| Symptoms | Painless bump in the center of body, abnormal menstruation, bump in testes |
| Risk factors | Specific genetic syndrome, congenital abnormalities |
| Diagnostic method | Tumor marker test, immunohistochemistry, MRI, chest x-ray, CT scan, ultrasound exam, biopsy |
| Treatment | Surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy |
| Medication | Cisplatin based chemotherapy, BEP (cisplatin, etoposide, and bleomycin) |
| Prognosis | High survival rate after treatments |
| Frequency | 3%(<15) and 14%(≥15) |
An extracranial germ cell tumor (EGCT) occurs in the abnormal growth of germ cells in the gonads (testes or ovaries) and the areas other than the brain via tissue, lymphatic system, or circulatory system. The tumor can be benign or malignant (cancerous) by its growth rate. According to the National Cancer Institute and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the chance of children who are under 15 years old having EGCTs is 3%, in comparison to adolescents, a possibility of 14% with aged 15 to 19 can have EGCTs.[1][2] There is no obvious cut point in between children and adolescents. However, common cut points in researches are 11 years old and 15 years old.[1][3][4][5]
The signs and symptoms are varied according to the location of the EGCTs. Common symptoms are fever, constipation, abdomen mass with or without pain, backache, bumps in testicles for male, abnormal bleeding in vagina or miss menses for female.[3][6] The cause of EGCTs has not been found. Some potential risk factors include smoking, alcohol consumption, specific genetic syndromes, congenital abnormalities, and more. Among these risk factors, specifically, the Klinefelter syndrome (KS) and cryptorchidism increase the possibility for males having testicular tumors and the Turner syndrome (TS) affects the risk of having ovarian cysts in females.[4] Swyer syndrome and other syndromes may increase the risk of having EGCTs in the gonads.[7][8]
The diagnosis is made by a combination of picture-taking testaments, physical examinations, and the investigation of samples from blood, urine, and tissue by using microscope.[3][7] By collecting the data from the testaments, clinicians use the classifications of EGCTs to assist diagnosing the type of tumor. Due to the probability of having EGCTs among pediatric, several treatments had been used to remove the tumor or kill the cancer cells. The treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, salvage therapy, and clinical trials.[1][6][9] Among the treatments, the BEP combination (bleomycin, etoposide, cisplatin) is the standard chemotherapy treatment method for EGCTs by increasing the survival rate. The prognosis of EGCTs are varied after a series of treatments and follow-up testaments which include factors of age, gender, type of EGCT, location the cyst, treatment method, response, and symptoms are presented after a period of time.
- ^ a b c Olson TA, Murray MJ, Rodriguez-Galindo C, Nicholson JC, Billmire DF, Krailo MD, et al. (September 2015). "Pediatric and Adolescent Extracranial Germ Cell Tumors: The Road to Collaboration". Journal of Clinical Oncology. 33 (27): 3018–28. doi:10.1200/JCO.2014.60.5337. PMC 4979195. PMID 26304902.
- ^ "Germ Cell Tumor - Childhood - Statistics". Cancer.Net. 2012-06-25. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
- ^ a b c Gao Y, Jiang J, Liu Q (2015-05-01). "Extragonadal malignant germ cell tumors: a clinicopathological and immunohistochemical analysis of 48 cases at a single Chinese institution". International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology. 8 (5): 5650–7. PMC 4503148. PMID 26191277.
- ^ a b Shaikh F, Murray MJ, Amatruda JF, Coleman N, Nicholson JC, Hale JP, et al. (April 2016). "Paediatric extracranial germ-cell tumours" (PDF). The Lancet. Oncology. 17 (4): e149–e162. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(15)00545-8. PMID 27300675.
- ^ Frazier AL, Hale JP, Rodriguez-Galindo C, Dang H, Olson T, Murray MJ, et al. (January 2015). "Revised risk classification for pediatric extracranial germ cell tumors based on 25 years of clinical trial data from the United Kingdom and United States". Journal of Clinical Oncology. 33 (2): 195–201. doi:10.1200/JCO.2014.58.3369. PMC 4279239. PMID 25452439.
- ^ a b "Childhood Extracranial Germ Cell Tumors Treatment". National Cancer Institute. 1980-01-01. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
- ^ a b Shaikh F, Hale J (2013-08-03), "Clinical Treatment of Extracranial Pediatric Germ Cell Tumors", Pediatric Germ Cell Tumors, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 59–78, doi:10.1007/978-3-642-38971-9_4, ISBN 9783642389702
- ^ "Rare Cancers KnowledgeBase - Extracranial Germ Cell Tumour - Child". knowledge.rarecancers.org.au. Archived from the original on 2019-05-29. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
- ^ Kim J, Lee NH, Lee SH, Yoo KH, Sung KW, Koo HH, et al. (October 2015). "Prognostic factors in children with extracranial germ cell tumors treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy". Korean Journal of Pediatrics. 58 (10): 386–91. doi:10.3345/kjp.2015.58.10.386. PMC 4644767. PMID 26576183.