Germ cell tumor pathophysiology

• Germ cells are the cells that develop in the embryo and become they make up the reproductive system in males and females.
• After the development of germ cells, they follow the body midline path and descend into the pelvis as ovarian cells or into the scrotal sac as testicular cells.
• Th ovaries and testes are called gonads and many ovarian and testicular tumors have germ cell origin.
• The pathophysiology of germ cell tumors is different based on the classification of germ cell tumors
• Each of the distinct entities of germ cell tumor has a different pathogenesis
• Germ cell tumors are classified as;
  • Gonadal
    • Seminoma
    • Dysgerminoma
    • Germinoma
  • Extragonadal
    • Embryonic
      • Mature/Immature teratoma
    • Extraembryonic
      • Chorio carcinoma/Yolk sac tumor
        

Testicular Seminoma

• Accounts for about a third of all testicular germ cell malignancies and is one of the most treatable cancers with a survival rate of 98% to 99% in early-stage disease
• originates in the germinal epithelium of the seminiferous tubules as a result from the proliferation of immature spermatogonia