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Germ Cell Tumors/Teratoma

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Pediatric Head and Neck Tumors

Abstract

Pediatric germ cell tumors (GCT) of the head and neck are rare lesions with a highly variable presentation. Teratomas are benign GCT that often present at birth, frequently resulting in significant upper airway obstruction and a high risk of mortality. Malignant GCT represent a minority of GCT of the head and neck in the pediatric population and typically respond well to a combination of surgical resection and chemotherapy. This chapter will discuss the pathophysiology and variable clinical presentation of both benign and malignant pediatric GCT of the head and neck as well as the diagnosis and management of these lesions. Particular emphasis is given to the prenatal diagnosis and perinatal management of neonatal teratomas of the head and neck, including prenatal MRI, the ex utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) procedure, and airway management.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Enhancement, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Jacob R. Brodsky MD & Reza Rahbar MD

  2. Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Albany Medical Center, Albany, NY, USA

    Vikramjit S. Kanwar MRCP, MBA, FAAP

  3. College of Nanoscale Engineering, Albany, NY, USA

    Lisa M. Stafford MS

  4. Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA

    A. Lindsay Frazier MD, ScM

Authors
  1. A. Lindsay Frazier MD, ScM
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  2. Jacob R. Brodsky MD
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  3. Vikramjit S. Kanwar MRCP, MBA, FAAP
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  4. Lisa M. Stafford MS
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  5. Reza Rahbar MD
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Correspondence to Reza Rahbar MD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Reza Rahbar

  2. Harvard Medica School, Dana-Farber/Boston Childrens Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo

  3. Department of Plastic Surgery, Harvard Medical School Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    John G. Meara

  4. Department of Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Edward R. Smith

  5. Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Antonio R. Perez-Atayde

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Frazier, A., Brodsky, J., Kanwar, V., Stafford, L., Rahbar, R. (2014). Germ Cell Tumors/Teratoma. In: Rahbar, R., Rodriguez-Galindo, C., Meara, J., Smith, E., Perez-Atayde, A. (eds) Pediatric Head and Neck Tumors. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8755-5_20

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