Influence of tumor site and histology on long-term survival in 193 children with extracranial germ cell tumors

Aims: Although germ cell tumors (GCT) supposedly share the same cell type of origin, their clinical course differs considerably depending on tumor site and histology. The aim of this work was to study long-term survival stratified for tumor site and tumor histology. Materials and Methods: The medical records of 193 consecutive infants and children with extracranial GCT were studied. The GCT arose in the following anatomical sites: sacrococcygeal (n = 70), ovary (n = 66), testis (n = 20), retroperitoneum (n = 12), neck (n = 8), mediastinum (n = 7), and miscellaneous (n = 10). Histological analysis revealed 152 teratomas (mature: 115, immature: 37), 27 yolk sac tumors, 8 mixed tumors, 2 dysgerminomas, 2 gonadoblastomas, 1 choriocarcinoma and 1 embryonal carcinoma.