title: [Diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of 34 patients with malignant primary intracranial teratoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and surgical treatment of malignant intracranial teratomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-four patients with intracranial teratoma proved by histopathology were treated by operation. The growth pattern of this tumor, assessed by its clinical manifestations and neuroimaging together with surgical treatment and results were analyzed retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 6 lesions had been correctly suspected as teratoma before surgery. Total removal was achieved in 14 patients with a operative mortality of 32.4%. The survival of 23 patients with lesions showing aggressive growth was significantly different from those without (P < 0.05). Nineteen of these patients did not survive beyond the sixth month after surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Accurate preoperative diagnosis is difficult in malignant intracranial teratoma, especially for patients with the tumor in the sella region. The invasive biological behavior of the tumor is proved to be the main cause of surgery being dwarfed. Protection of the hypothalamus and brainstem, relief of hydrocephalus are the crucial points in surgical treatment. Comprehensive histopathologic examination combined with serum and CSF tumor marker detection is necessary for correct diagnosis and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Dabiao
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Junting
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Guijun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011379:Prognosis; D013724:Teratoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor