Histologic type, staging, and distribution of germ cell tumors in Korean adults.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the presentation of germ cell tumors (GCT) in terms of histology and stage, to better clarify the epidemiology of this disease in eastern Asia.


METHODS
Six hundred ninety-eight patients diagnosed with GCT between 1995 and 2004 were analyzed. Clinical parameters at the time of initial diagnosis were classified in terms of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) tumor, nodes, metastasis staging (TNMS) system, the International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Classification (IGCCC), for high-risk stage I nonseminomatous GCT (NSGCT) of testis.


RESULTS
The anatomic distributions for the primary sites of the observed tumors were as follows: testis 471 cases (67%); central nervous system (CNS) 137 cases (20%); mediastinum 78 cases (11%), and retroperitoneum 12 cases (2%); 239 (51%) of 471 tumors with testicular primary were seminoma. High risk vs. non-high risk stage I NSGCT cases were 62 vs. 58. Of NSGCT of testis, 129 (58%), 73 (33%), and 21 (9%) of tumors presented with good, intermediate, and poor prognosis, respectively, based on IGCCC, whereas 231 (99%) patients were classified with a good prognosis and 3 (1%) with an intermediate prognosis amongst seminomas of testis; 193 (82%) cases presented as stage I testicular seminoma whereas 120 (54%) cases presented as stage I NSGCT.


CONCLUSIONS
Extragonadal primary GCTs are very common in Korean. Incidence of high risk NSGCT of testis with stage I disease was lower than in the Western report. NSGCT presents itself as a more aggressive form whereas seminoma is a very indolent tumor when compared with cases in Western countries.
Park
Dong Soo
DS
The Korean Urological Oncology Society, Department of Urology, Bundang CHA Hospital, Pochon CHA University, College of Medicine, Sungnam, Korea. dsparkmd@cha.ac.kr
Chung
Moon Kee
MK
Chung
Jae Il
JI
Ahn
Han Jong
HJ
Lee
Eun Sik
ES
Choi
Han Yong
HY
Yoon
Duck Ki
DK
Cheon
Jun
J
Hong
Sung Joon
SJ
Lee
Young Goo
YG
Yoon
Sang Min
SM
Kim
Wun Jae
WJ
Kim
Hyung Jin
HJ
Ryu
Soo Bang
SB
Ro
Jae Y
JY
D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy