title: Sacrococcygeal tumors in infancy and childhood; a retrospective histopathological review of 85 cases.
abstract: This study retrospectively examines the spectrum of sacrococcygeal tumors reported in a tertiary paediatric pathology department during a 15-year period. There were 85 sacrococcygeal tumors identified in total, including 79 (93%) sacrococcygeal germ cell tumors, of which 62 (78%) were benign, whereas 17 (22%) contained malignant yolk sac tumor elements. The median age at examination in cases with malignant elements present was significantly greater than in those with benign sacrococcygeal teratoma only (median 2 years, range birth--3 years versus median 1 week, range birth--10 years, respectively; p < .01). Of the 85 cases of total sacrococcygeal lesions 6 (7%) represented pathologies other than sacrococcygeal teratoma, including one case each of neuroblastoma, ganglioneuroma, myxopapillary ependymoma, primitive neuroectodermal tumor, lipomatous tumor, and unclassifiable inflammatory tumor. Of these 6 cases 3 were malignant (50%) compared with 17 of the 79 cases of sacrococcygeal germ cell tumors (22%; Z =1.59, p = .08). The median age in the group of non-germ-cell sacrococcygeal masses was 3 years (range 5 months to 13 years).
authors.affiliation: Department of Histopathology, Camelia Botnar Laboratories, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JH, UK. SebirN@gosh.nhs.uk
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Sebire
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Ramsay
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018240:Endodermal Sinus Tumor / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D004806:Ependymoma / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012445:Sacrococcygeal Region / Q000473:pathology*; D013724:Teratoma; D013997:Time Factors