Mediastinal Germ Cell Tumors

Course overview

Mediastinal nonseminomas, unlike their gonadal counterparts, are locally invasive and aggressive tumors. They are one of the very few tumors whose course can be followed by the tumor markers, beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Usually occurring in young adolescent men, they present as large anterior mediastinal masses. There are distinct differences between mediastinal seminomas and nonseminomas with regard to pathophysiology and treatment. During the last decade, multimodal cisplatin-based chemotherapy has changed the prognosis dramatically.