title: Pure Testicular Seminoma Relapsing Late with Somatic Type Malignancy.
abstract: Background.Somatic type malignancy (STM) occurs in 2% of all germ cell tumours (GCTs). The prognosis is unfavourable and the origin is poorly understood. Pathogenetic hypotheses involve direct transformation of teratoma, origin from totipotent cancer cells, or derivation from yolk sac tumour elements.Case Presentation.A 31-year-old patient was cured from testicular seminoma clinical stage IIc by orchiectomy and cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Nine years later, he experienced a late relapse with a mass sized 5 × 6 cm located at the former metastatic site. As no remission occurred after chemotherapy with three cycles of cisplatin, ifosfamide and etoposide, the mass was surgically resected. Histologically, the specimen consisted of neurofibroma with areas of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour and spots with mature bone formation. FISH analysis disclosed isochromosome 12p in the majority of evaluated cells suggesting somatic type malignancy (STM) of GCT. The patient is well 1 year after surgery.Conclusion.The pathogenesis of this STM remains enigmatic. The origin from GCT was evidenced by documentation of isochromosome 12p. Unrecognized teratomatous elements in the primary and totipotent cancer cells surviving the first chemotherapy could be hypothesized to represent the origin. STM developing from seminoma cells would be another novel hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Albertinen-Krankenhaus Hamburg, Süntelstrasse 11a, 22457 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus-Peter
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3821-7956
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Dieckmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Albertinen-Krankenhaus Hamburg, Süntelstrasse 11a, 22457 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Anheuser
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Albertinen-Krankenhaus Hamburg, Süntelstrasse 11a, 22457 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gehrckens
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Waldemar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wilczak
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sauter
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Höflmayer