title: Primary frontal-lobe germinoma appearing as a large cyst.
abstract: In the present case, a primary frontal-lobe germinoma in a 20-year-old man is reported. This is the first such case to be investigated by autopsy. The tumor appeared on a CT scan as a large cystic lesion in the frontal-lobe white matter. At autopsy, the typical two-cell histology pattern was seen mainly in the area of the cyst wall. Although cyst formation is a frequent feature of germinomas, the presence of a large cystic lesion in the cerebral white matter, as demonstrated in the present case, is very rare. The present case provides further radiographic data that might be useful for the future diagnosis of this tumor, which is radiosensitive and potentially curable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Kariwagun General Hospital, Kashiwazaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.forename: Mitsunori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Naoyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Kouichirou
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Ryuichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D003560:Cysts / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology*; D018237:Germinoma / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed