Pediatric germ cell tumors

Abstract

Germ cell tumors in the pediatric age group conform a heterogeneous collection of neoplastic entities whose common denominator is their origin in progenitor germ cells. The three major types include teratoma, embryonal carcinoma/yolk sac tumor, and seminoma/dysgerminoma. Their common extragonadal locations are consistent with migratory pathways of primitive germ cells during the embryo-fetal development and tend to predominate in younger patients, while their appearance in ovaries and testes, occurring across the pediatric age spectrum, reflects the abundance of germ cells in those organs. Their fascinating and large morphologic spectrum reveals the wide potentiality characteristic of germ cells.