Embryonal carcinoma overview
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Embryonal carcinoma Microchapters |
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Diagnosis |
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Treatment |
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Case Studies |
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Embryonal carcinoma overview On the Web |
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Risk calculators and risk factors for Embryonal carcinoma overview |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Embryonal carcinoma is a type of testicular cancer of germ cell origin. It comprises about twenty-five percent of nonseminoma tumors of germ cell testicular tumors. Even though pure embryonal carcinomas are rare, it has a poor prognosis as it is aggressive tumor, easily metastasizes and has a high malignant potential.
Historical Perspective
There's no information available yet on the discovery of embryonal carcinomas. However, the discovery of human chorionic gonadotropin (hcg) and α-fetoprotein (AFP) in 1927 and 1956, respectively, led to a major leap forward in the ability to diagnose, stage, and manage testicular cancer.
Classification
Embryonal carcinomas may be classified based on whether it is in a pure form or a mixed form ( i.e. component of a mixed germ cell tumor); or based on their histological patterns, which includes solid, tubular or glandlike, and papillary.