title: Successful Treatment of Intracranial Germ Cell Tumor: Report of Two Unusual Cases and Literature Review.
abstract: Primary intracranial germ cell tumor (GCT) is a rare tumor that generally occurs due to developmental anomaly. Although intracranial GCT is sensitive to treatment, a high recurrence rate, treatment-related long-term complications and the heterogeneity of this tumor group make treatment complicated. Moreover, because of its location, hydrocephalus and visual field defect, functional disturbance of the pituitary gland can occur and require attention. Treatment primarily relies on chemotherapy and radiation therapy but the management of intracranial GCT remains unsettled, especially in the case of unusual circumstances such as multifocal tumor or nongerminomatous GCT. Here, we present two unusual cases of intracranial GCT: one case with a bifocal intracranial germinoma, and the other with an intracranial choriocarcinoma. Both cases were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by reduced-field radiation therapy without significant treatment-related complication. Further, we performed a PubMed search to investigate the appropriate treatment strategy for this unusual subtype of intracranial GCT.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yeouido St Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Jeju, Korea.
authors.forename: Ju Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yeouido St Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Jeju, Korea.
authors.forename: In Sook
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yeouido St Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Jeju, Korea.
authors.forename: Young Yun
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yeouido St Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Jeju, Korea.
authors.forename: Won Jik
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yeouido St Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Jeju, Korea.
authors.forename: Deok Jae
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Cheju Halla General Hospital, Jeju, Korea.
authors.forename: Chi Wha
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yeouido St Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Jeju, Korea.
authors.forename: Yun Hwa
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Jung
keywords: Chemotherapy; Choriocarcinoma; Germinoma; Intracranial germ cell tumor; Radiation therapy