Stage IV malignant intrapericardial germ cell tumor: a case report.
The mediastinum is a common site for germ cell tumors. We describe an unusual case in an 18-month-old girl who presented with respiratory distress and cardiomegaly. An echocardiogram revealed a large pericardial effusion and a mass adjacent to the heart. She underwent detailed investigation and at open exploration was found to have a wholly intrapericardial malignant yolk sac tumor. Staging investigations revealed a bony metastasis. The serum marker alpha-fetoprotein was elevated. She was treated with chemotherapy and is in remission 1 year after completion of treatment. We review the methods of diagnosis and follow-up of children with these tumors.
Bath
L E
LE
Department of Oncology, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, Great Britain.
Walayat
M
M
Mankad
P
P
Godman
M J
MJ
Wallace
W H
WH
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000473:pathology*; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins