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What’s growing on? The growing teratoma syndrome

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Abstract

Background

The growing teratoma syndrome (GTS) consists of a mature teratoma paradoxically enlarging during or after chemotherapy for malignant nongerminomatous germ cell tumors.

Methods and results

We report two cases of GTS occurring in association with NSGCT of the pineal gland. Although an unusual event, clinicians and radiologists should be aware of its natural history.

Conclusions

When normalized tumor markers after chemotherapy are associated with imaging features of a growing mass, the hypothesis of GTS must be taken in consideration. When early diagnosed, GTS can be managed surgically with good results.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Mr. Valerio Gerunda for his excellent technical assistance. This work was supported in part by grant Ricerca Finalizzata Regione Veneto 285/08 to Prof. d’Avella.

Conflicts of interest

None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Academic Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani N 5, 35128, Padua, Italy

    Luca Denaro, Roberto Faggin, Marta Rossetto & Domenico d’Avella

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Padova, Padua, Italy

    Francesca Pluchinotta, Elisabetta Viscardi & Giorgio Perilongo

  3. Division of Neuroradiology, Azienda Ospedaliera Università di Padova, Padua, Italy

    Renzo Manara & Milena Calderone

  4. Department of Pathology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy

    Marina Gardiman

Authors
  1. Luca Denaro
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  2. Francesca Pluchinotta
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  3. Roberto Faggin
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  4. Renzo Manara
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  5. Milena Calderone
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  6. Elisabetta Viscardi
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  7. Marina Gardiman
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  8. Marta Rossetto
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  9. Giorgio Perilongo
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  10. Domenico d’Avella
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Domenico d’Avella.

Additional information

Comment

Intracranial germ cell tumors predominate in the Far East countries, and they occur much more rarely in the Western world. Two new cases of the growing teratoma syndrome (GTS) are reported by Denaro et al. Although this condition has been described already 28 years ago, its rarity and most often favorable prognosis when adequately diagnosed and treated must be reemphasized. This paper presents a concise but well-documented discussion and conclusion so that the reader gets in a few pages a precise idea about the GTS.

Benedict Rilliet

Geneva, Switzerland

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Denaro, L., Pluchinotta, F., Faggin, R. et al. What’s growing on? The growing teratoma syndrome. Acta Neurochir 152, 1943–1946 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-010-0807-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-010-0807-2

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