title: Histologic type, staging, and distribution of germ cell tumors in Korean adults.
abstract: 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.
authors: The Korean Urological Oncology Society, Department of Urology, Bundang CHA Hospital, Pochon CHA University, College of Medicine, Sungnam, Korea. dsparkmd@cha.ac.kr
authors: Dong Soo
authors: DS
authors: Park
authors: Moon Kee
authors: MK
authors: Chung
authors: Jae Il
authors: JI
authors: Chung
authors: Han Jong
authors: HJ
authors: Ahn
authors: Eun Sik
authors: ES
authors: Lee
authors: Han Yong
authors: HY
authors: Choi
authors: Duck Ki
authors: DK
authors: Yoon
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Cheon
authors: Sung Joon
authors: SJ
authors: Hong
authors: Young Goo
authors: YG
authors: Lee
authors: Sang Min
authors: SM
authors: Yoon
authors: Wun Jae
authors: WJ
authors: Kim
authors: Hyung Jin
authors: HJ
authors: Kim
authors: Soo Bang
authors: SB
authors: Ryu
authors: Jae Y
authors: JY
authors: Ro
mesh_terms: 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