Dysgerminoma
Dysgerminoma Definition
Dysgerminoma is considered to be the most common classification of malignant form of germ cell ovarian cancer. Dysgerminoma usually occurs in adolescence and early adult life; about 5% occur in pre-pubertal children. Dysgerminoma is known to be an extremely rare medical condition that usually occurs after age 50. Dysgerminoma occurs in both sections of the ovaries in more than 10% of patients and, in a further 10%, there is microscopic tumor found to have developed in the other ovary.
Dysgerminoma Diagnosis
Metastasis has been noted in approximately 22% of cases at time of diagnosis. Males are said to be approximately twice as commonly afflicted in the development of germinomas. Germinomas have been known to be among the most commonly diagnosed conditions between ages of 10 and 21. Often the serum as well as the spinal fluid found in the tumor are key markers of AFP and beta-HCG are also tested. Pure germinomas are often not associated with such markers. Nongerminomatou type of germ cell tumors may be associated with the increased markers such as AFP that comes with the yolk sac tumors along with the immature teratomas, embryonic cell carcinomas and beta-HCG which typically occur in choriocarcinomas. It should also be noted that in about 1-15% of the germinonas have a low level of beta-HCG may be produced. While this has been considered to be highly controversial, there are some supporting theories and thoughts that establishes HCG-secreting germinomas to be more common and more aggressive than the nonsecreting ones.
Dysgerminoma Treatment
Germinomas, like several other types of germ cell tumor, are sensitive to both chemotherapy[7] and radiotherapy. For this very reason, with regular administration of treatment increases the patients' chances of enjoying long term survival, even attain full cure and recovery, has excellent chances. Although chemotherapy have been known to shrink the germinomas, it is not generally one of the recommended treatment to be conducted alone since there are a number of contraindications ralated to radiation that is possibly based on a medical study recorded in the early 1990s where etoposide, carboplatinum, and bleomycin were given to more than 45 germinoma patients. The results showed the about half the patients had a relapse. Most of these occurrence of relapsed patients were reported to have recovered with the application of a radiation or additional sessions of chemotherapy.