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Central Nervous System Germ Cell Tumors (CNS-GCT)

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Pediatric Neuro-oncology

Abstract

Germ cell tumors of the central nervous system are rare malignancies and comprise a variety of pathologies. Germinoma accounts for approximately 60–70 % and non-germinomatous germ cell tumors (NGGCTs) for 30–40 % of CNS-GCT. While discrepancies in diagnostic management and treatment choices remain, the value of tumor markers at the time of diagnosis and during treatment is well recognized and has prompted in many parts of the world minimally invasive and less morbid neurosurgical approaches. Overall survival (OS) significantly improved when chemotherapy was introduced and combined with radiation for secreting NGGCT patients. Adjuvant chemotherapy did not translate into superior OS when compared to radiation-only approaches for germinoma patients; however, the combined approach allowed radiation dose and volume reductions. Current national and international cooperative studies are directing their efforts towards treatment strategies that maintain high cure rates while reducing treatment-related morbidity to improve long-term quality of life.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hematology/Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Ute Bartels M.D.

  2. Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, University of British Columbia, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Ash Singhal M.D., F.R.C.S. (C.)

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  1. Ute Bartels M.D.
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Correspondence to Ute Bartels M.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, McMaster Children's Hospital, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Katrin Scheinemann

  2. Department of Haematology/Oncology, Garron Family Chair in Childhood Cancer Research, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Eric Bouffet

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Bartels, U., Singhal, A. (2015). Central Nervous System Germ Cell Tumors (CNS-GCT). In: Scheinemann, K., Bouffet, E. (eds) Pediatric Neuro-oncology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1541-5_14

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