Multiple intracranial mixed germ cell tumors

De novo germinoma in the brain in association with Klinefelter's syndrome: case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

There are no previous reports about de novo germ cell tumors without any past history of germ cell tumor. We describe a case of de novo cerebral germinoma in association with Klinefelter's syndrome.

CASE DESCRIPTION

A boy had undergone growth hormone therapy for dwarfism because of hypopituitarism from 10 to 17 years old. The result of karyotyping at the age of 13 was 47,XXY. Magnetic resonance images (MRI) of the brain at the age of 17 years showed no lesions. Two years later, at the age of 19, the patient noticed onset of mild right hemiparesis. MR imaging revealed the existence of a brain tumor in the left temporal lobe and hypothalamus. The patient underwent an operation and the histologic diagnosis of the lesion was germinoma. After postoperative chemotherapy and radiation therapy, the lesion disappeared and the patient was discharged uneventfully.

CONCLUSIONS

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of a germ cell tumor to be de novo without any past history of other germ cell tumor and the seventh case in which it occurred in association with Klinefelter's syndrome.

Intrathecal and intraperitoneal germinomas occurring 20 years after total removal of a pineal teratoma. Case report

In 1980, a 10-year-old boy was admitted to the authors' hospital with consciousness disturbance and vomiting. Computerized tomography (CT) scans revealed a pineal mass lesion and hydrocephalus. The tumor was totally removed and a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt was inserted. Histological investigation of a surgical specimen revealed that it was a teratoma. Five years later, the patient was readmitted to the same institution with polyuria. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed a mass lesion in the suprasellar region. The patient received systemic chemotherapy, and the tumor disappeared; however, 2 years after the chemotherapy, MR imaging demonstrated a right lateral ventricular mass. The tumor was totally resected, and histopathological investigation revealed a teratocarcinoma. Three years after the chemotherapy, CT scanning revealed suprasellar and right lateral ventricular tumor recurrences, for which the patient received irradiation and chemotherapy. The tumors disappeared and the patient achieved complete remission that lasted longer than 10 years. On January 25, 2000, however, he noticed hip pain. Lumbar MR imaging demonstrated a spinal tumor below L-4 and also an abdominal tumor. The abdominal tumor was totally removed, and the histological findings identified it as a germinoma. The patient received systemic chemotherapy and the tumor disappeared completely. The authors believe that the suprasellar tumor was a metachronous germinoma and that it had metastasized through the intrathecal route and the VP shunt.

Molecular genetics of pineal region neoplasms

A large variety of mass lesions have been reported in the region of the pineal gland. Pineal parenchymal tumors and germ cell tumors (GCTs) are especially characteristic of this region. Despite their rarity, a number of excellent studies on the cytogenetics and molecular genetics of pineal parenchymal tumors and pineal region GCTs have been published. These studies draw attention to a number of distinct genomic regions recurrently involved in the various subtypes of malignancies of the pineal gland. Outcomes for tumors in this location vary widely between patients and among differing histologies. Development of novel therapies for patients with poor prognoses will depend on the acquisition of a more detailed understanding of the molecular basis associated with the etiopathogenesis of these neoplasms. We review the literature on cytogenetics, familial syndromes, animal models and molecular genetics of pineal region neoplasms.