Germ Cell tumors(GCTs) in children are characterized by diverse clinical, pathologic, and prognostic features.
We studied 33 cases with germ cell tumors clinicopathologically, that were admitted to the departments of General Surgery, Urology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chest Surgery, and Neurosurgery. National Medical Center, January 1960 to December
1990.
There were 12 males and 21 females among 33 cases excluding over 17-year-old patients with average age at diagnosis being 7.5 years ranged from 2 day to 16 years.
Primary sites were ovary, sacrococcygeal region, testis, and others. Most common histologic type was mature teratoma. Clinical symptoms were variable to the anatomical site, and abdominal mass, abdominal mass, abdominal pain, sacrococcygeal and
scrotal
mass in order.
The symptom duration before diagnosis of GCTs was less than 1 month in 50% of patients and benign tumors had longer period of symptom duration than that of malignant ones.
Treatments of the 33 tumors were surgery alone in 27 cases, and surgery with chemoradiation in four cases, and biopsy only in two cases.
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