Metastatic Mature Teratoma and Growing Teratoma Syndrome in Patients with Testicular Non-Seminomatous Germ Cell Tumors
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- 2Department of Pathology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
- 3Department of Radiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
- 4Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- 5Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, UCHealth Tony Grampsas Urologic Cancer Care Clinic, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
Abstract
- Metastatic mature teratoma is a common radiologic and histopathologic finding after chemotherapy for metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell tumors. The leading theory for these residual tumors is the selective chemotherapy resistance of teratomas versus the high chemotherapy sensitivity of the embryonal components. Growing teratoma syndrome is a relatively rare phenomenon defined as an enlarging residual mass histologically proven to be a mature teratoma in the setting of normal serum tumor markers. Metastatic mature teratomas should be resected because of their malignant potential and occasional progression to growing teratoma syndrome with the invasion of the surrounding structures. CT is the preferred imaging modality for post-chemotherapy surveillance and should cover all sites of potential metastatic disease. This article reviews the clinical, pathologic, and multimodality imaging features of metastatic mature teratomas in patients with primary testicular non-seminomatous germ cell tumors.