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Childhood Extracranial Germ Cell Tumors Treatment (PDQ®)     
Last Modified: 02/26/2008
Health Professional Version
Pediatric Germ Cell Tumor Biology

Testicular Germ Cell Tumors
Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors
Extragonadal, Extracranial Germ Cell Tumors

The following paragraphs describe the biologically distinct subtypes of germ cell tumors found in children and adolescents. Treatment approaches for each tumor category are provided later in this document.

Testicular Germ Cell Tumors
  • Children: These germ cell tumors typically present during early childhood. The tumors commonly present with yolk sac tumor (endodermal sinus tumor) histology, are generally diploid or tetraploid, and lack the isochromosome of the short arm of chromosome 12 that characterizes testicular cancer in young adults.[1-4] Deletions of chromosomes 1p, 4q, and 6q and gains of chromosomes 1q, 3, and 20q are reported as recurring chromosomal abnormalities for this group of tumors.[3-5]


  • Adolescents and young adults: These tumors typically possess an isochromosome of the short arm of chromosome 12 [6-9] and are aneuploid.[1,9] Testicular cancer is broadly divided into seminomatous and nonseminomatous tumors, which is an important distinction for treatment planning because seminomas are more sensitive to radiation therapy. Although adolescent testicular germ cell patients may be best treated at pediatric oncology centers, the treatment regimens for adolescents older than 14 years follow regimens used in adults. (Refer to the PDQ summary on Testicular Cancer Treatment 1 for more information.)


Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors

Ovarian germ cell tumors occur primarily in adolescent and young adult females. While the majority of ovarian germ cell tumors are benign mature teratomas, a heterogeneous group of malignant germ cell tumors occur in females, including immature teratomas, dysgerminomas, yolk sac tumors, and mixed germ cell tumors. Patients with pediatric ovarian germ cell tumors have an excellent prognosis with one series of 66 patients followed over 44 years, reporting recurrence and mortality rates of 4.5% and 3%, respectively.[10] The malignant ovarian germ cell tumors commonly show increased copies of the short arm of chromosome 12.[11] (Refer to the PDQ summary on Ovarian Germ Cell Tumor Treatment 2 for more information.)

Extragonadal, Extracranial Germ Cell Tumors
  • Children: These tumors typically present at birth or during early childhood. The majority of these tumors are benign teratomas occurring in the sacrococcygeal region, and hence SEER areas do not report them.[12,13] Malignant yolk sac tumor histology occurs in a minority of these tumors, however, with cytogenetic abnormalities similar to those observed for tumors occurring in the testes of young males.[2-5]


  • Older children, adolescents, and young adults: The mediastinum is the most common primary site for extragonadal germ cell tumors in older children and adolescents.[14] Mediastinal germ cell tumors in children younger than 8 years share the same genetic gains and losses as sacrococcygeal and testicular tumors in young children.[15-17] The gain in chromosome 12p has been reported in mediastinal tumors in children aged 8 years and older.[17,18]


Very little is known about the potential genetic or environmental factors associated with childhood extracranial germ cell tumors. Patients with Klinefelter syndrome [19-21] appear to be at increased risk for mediastinal germ cell tumors, while patients with Swyer syndrome [22,23] appear to be at increased risk for gonadoblastomas and germinomas.

References

  1. Oosterhuis JW, Castedo SM, de Jong B, et al.: Ploidy of primary germ cell tumors of the testis. Pathogenetic and clinical relevance. Lab Invest 60 (1): 14-21, 1989.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  2. Silver SA, Wiley JM, Perlman EJ: DNA ploidy analysis of pediatric germ cell tumors. Mod Pathol 7 (9): 951-6, 1994.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  3. Perlman EJ, Cushing B, Hawkins E, et al.: Cytogenetic analysis of childhood endodermal sinus tumors: a Pediatric Oncology Group study. Pediatr Pathol 14 (4): 695-708, 1994 Jul-Aug.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  4. Schneider DT, Schuster AE, Fritsch MK, et al.: Genetic analysis of childhood germ cell tumors with comparative genomic hybridization. Klin Padiatr 213 (4): 204-11, 2001 Jul-Aug.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  5. Perlman EJ, Valentine MB, Griffin CA, et al.: Deletion of 1p36 in childhood endodermal sinus tumors by two-color fluorescence in situ hybridization: a pediatric oncology group study. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 16 (1): 15-20, 1996.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  6. Rodriguez E, Houldsworth J, Reuter VE, et al.: Molecular cytogenetic analysis of i(12p)-negative human male germ cell tumors. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 8 (4): 230-6, 1993.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  7. Bosl GJ, Ilson DH, Rodriguez E, et al.: Clinical relevance of the i(12p) marker chromosome in germ cell tumors. J Natl Cancer Inst 86 (5): 349-55, 1994.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  8. Mostert MC, Verkerk AJ, van de Pol M, et al.: Identification of the critical region of 12p over-representation in testicular germ cell tumors of adolescents and adults. Oncogene 16 (20): 2617-27, 1998.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  9. van Echten J, Oosterhuis JW, Looijenga LH, et al.: No recurrent structural abnormalities apart from i(12p) in primary germ cell tumors of the adult testis. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 14 (2): 133-44, 1995.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  10. De Backer A, Madern GC, Oosterhuis JW, et al.: Ovarian germ cell tumors in children: a clinical study of 66 patients. Pediatr Blood Cancer 46 (4): 459-64, 2006.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  11. Riopel MA, Spellerberg A, Griffin CA, et al.: Genetic analysis of ovarian germ cell tumors by comparative genomic hybridization. Cancer Res 58 (14): 3105-10, 1998.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  12. Malogolowkin MH, Mahour GH, Krailo M, et al.: Germ cell tumors in infancy and childhood: a 45-year experience. Pediatr Pathol 10 (1-2): 231-41, 1990.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  13. Marsden HB, Birch JM, Swindell R: Germ cell tumours of childhood: a review of 137 cases. J Clin Pathol 34 (8): 879-83, 1981.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  14. Rescorla FJ: Pediatric germ cell tumors. Semin Surg Oncol 16 (2): 144-58, 1999.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  15. Dal Cin P, Drochmans A, Moerman P, et al.: Isochromosome 12p in mediastinal germ cell tumor. Cancer Genet Cytogenet 42 (2): 243-51, 1989.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  16. Aly MS, Dal Cin P, Jiskoot P, et al.: Competitive in situ hybridization in a mediastinal germ cell tumor. Cancer Genet Cytogenet 73 (1): 53-6, 1994.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  17. Schneider DT, Schuster AE, Fritsch MK, et al.: Genetic analysis of mediastinal nonseminomatous germ cell tumors in children and adolescents. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 34 (1): 115-25, 2002.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  18. McKenney JK, Heerema-McKenney A, Rouse RV: Extragonadal germ cell tumors: a review with emphasis on pathologic features, clinical prognostic variables, and differential diagnostic considerations. Adv Anat Pathol 14 (2): 69-92, 2007.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  19. Dexeus FH, Logothetis CJ, Chong C, et al.: Genetic abnormalities in men with germ cell tumors. J Urol 140 (1): 80-4, 1988.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  20. Nichols CR, Heerema NA, Palmer C, et al.: Klinefelter's syndrome associated with mediastinal germ cell neoplasms. J Clin Oncol 5 (8): 1290-4, 1987.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  21. Lachman MF, Kim K, Koo BC: Mediastinal teratoma associated with Klinefelter's syndrome. Arch Pathol Lab Med 110 (11): 1067-71, 1986.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  22. Coutin AS, Hamy A, Fondevilla M, et al.: [Pure 46XY gonadal dysgenesis] J Gynecol Obstet Biol Reprod (Paris) 25 (8): 792-6, 1996.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  23. Amice V, Amice J, Bercovici JP, et al.: Gonadal tumor and H-Y antigen in 46,XY pure gonadal dysgenesis. Cancer 57 (7): 1313-7, 1986.  [PUBMED Abstract]


Table of Links

1http://cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/testicular/HealthProfessional
2http://cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/ovarian-germ-cell/HealthProfession
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