title: Surgical techniques and outcomes for primary nonseminomatous germ cell tumors.
abstract: Patients with primary mediastinal nonseminomatous germ cell tumors are usually young men with large anterior mediastinal masses. The diagnosis can usually be established with measurement of serum tumor markers and a fine-needle aspiration biopsy. The mainstay of treatment is cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Resection of the residual postchemotherapy mass is usually necessary and is performed even with persistently elevated tumor markers if a clean resection is possible. The finding of necrotic tumor predicts long-term survival, whereas persistent germ cell cancer has a less favorable prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Section of General Thoracic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. Wright.Cameron@mgh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Cameron D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Kenneth A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kesler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D008481:Mediastinoscopy; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D018579:Patient Selection; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013908:Thoracotomy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome