title: [The clinical characteristics of primary intracranial germinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse the clinical characteristics of intracranial germinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis was applied to study the clinical characteristics of 26 intracranial germ cell tumor patients admitted to our hospital during 1991-2003. The clinical, biochemical and imaging profiles including human chorionic gonadotropin-beta, alphafetoprotein, MRI and CT as well as treatments were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  26 intracranial germ cell tumor patients were admitted to our hospital during 1991-2003, accounting for 0.9% of all intracranial tumors (3020 cases) at the same time. Among these patients 19 cases (73.1%) were primary intracranial germinoma, 9 patients (47.4%) were female and 10 patients (52.6%) were male. 13 patients (68.4%) were younger than 20 years. 14 patients (73.7%) had headache, vomiting and nausea, 8 patients (42.1%) had diabetes insipidus, 5 patients (26.3%) had hypopituitarism. 9 patients' tumors (47.3%) were in pine region, 7 patients' tumors (38.8%) were in sellar region. 14 patients (73.7%) were treated wit radiotherapy and all of them were discharged with good condition. 10 patients were treated with operation (7 patients accepted radiotherapy after operation) and 2 of them died after operation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intracranial germinoma mainly affects female children and adolescents, pine and suprasellar regions are the commonly involved regions, the most common manifestations of intracranial germinoma are headache, vomiting, nausea, diabetes insipidus and hypopituitarism. Radiotherapy has good efficacy in the treatment of intracranial germinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, First Affilicated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Jian-juan
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Wan-mei
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jin-hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Jian-ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Weng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D002648:Child; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D018237:Germinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins