Abstract
The histologic appearance of primary mediastinal and testicular seminomas is identical; therefore it is always important to rule out metastatic testicular disease in patients with suspected primary mediastinal seminoma. The histogenic origin of extragonadal germ cell tumors has been a matter of controversy. In 1946 Schlumberger proposed that these tumors were of thymic origin and were the result of disordered somatic cell development [1], This theory failed to explain the presence of germinomatous elements in mixed tumors which could not have arisen from somatic tissue [2]. Others have argued that mediastinal seminoma represents metastatic disease, and that the primary testicular tumor is either occult or has undergone spontaneous regression. Clinical and postmortem studies do not support the theory of metastatic mediastinal disease from an occult testicular primary. In addition the theory does not explain the finding of mediastinal seminoma in women. In 1951, Friedman proposed a theory supporting the existence of primary extragonadal germ cell tumors which has become generally accepted [3]. The theory states that displaced primordial germ cells, which are located along the midline, are the origin for all extragonadal germ cell tumors. In this theory, the different morphologic patterns of germ cell tumors resulted from different stages of tumor differentiation.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Schlumberger HG (1946) Teratoma of anterior mediastinum in group of military age: study of sixteen cases and review of theories of genesis. Arch Pathol 41: 398–444
Knapp RH, Hunt RD, Payne WS, et al. (1985) Malignant germ cell tumors of the mediastinum. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 89: 82–89
Friedman NB (1951) The comparative morphogenesis of extragenital and gonadal teratoid tumors. Cancer 4: 265–276
Brown K, Collins JD, Betra P, Streekel RJ, Kagan AR (1989) Mediastinal germ cell tumor in a young woman. Med Pediatr Oncol 17: 164–167
Aggerwal P, Sharma SK, Sharma ML, Sawhney S, Aserwel J (1988) Mediastinal seminoma. A case report and review of the literature. Urol Int 43: 344–346
Aygun C, Slawson RG, Bajaj K, Salazar OM (1984) Primary mediastinal seminoma. Urology 23: 109–117
Hasle H, Jacobsen BB, Asschenfeldt P, Andersen K (1992) Mediastinal germ cell tumour associated with Klinefelter syndrome. A report of case and review of literature. Eur J Ped 151: 735–739
Davis RD Jr, Oldham HN Jr, Sabistaon DC Jr (1987) Primary cysts and neoplasma of the mediastinum: recent changes in clinical presentation, methods of diagnosis, management and results. Ann Thorac Surg 44: 229–237
Mullen B, Richardson JD (1986) Primary anterior mediastinal tumors in children and adults. Ann Thorac Surg 42:338–345
Adkins RB Jr, Maples MD, Hainsworth JD (1984) Primary malignant mediastinal tumors. Ann Thorac Surg 38: 648–659
Kersh CR, Eisert DR, Constable WC, Hahn SS, Jenrette JM, Fitzgerald RH, Graydon J (1987) Primary malignant mediastinal germ cell tumors and the contribution of radiotherapy: a southeastern multi-institutional study. Am J Clin Oncol 10: 302–306
Cox JD (1975) Primary malignant germinal tumors of the mediastinum - a study of 24 cases. Cancer 36: 1162–1168
Martini N, Hajdu SI, Whitmore WF, Beattie EJ (1986) Primary mediastinal germ cell tumors. Cancer 33: 763–769
Friedman SJ, Martin NJ (1988) Extragonadal mediastinal seminoma. Milit Med 153:32–34
Jain KK, Bose GJ, Whitmore WF, Golle RS (1984) The treatment of extragonadal seminoma. J Clin Oncol 7: 820–827
Patcher MR, Lattes R (1964) Germinal tumors of the mediastinum: a clinico-pathologic study of adult teratomas, teratocarcinomas, choriocarcinomas and seminomas. Dis Chest 45: 301–310
Oberman HA, Libcke JH (1964) Malignant germinal neoplasms of the mediastinum. Cancer 17:498–507
Nickels J, Franssila K (1972) Primary seminoma of the anterior mediastinum. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand A Pathol 80: 260–262
Clemon GH (1983) Management of primary mediastinal seminoma. Chest 83: 263–267
Bell DA, Bahn AK (1987) Immunohistochemical characteristics of seminoma and its inflammatory cell infiltrate. Hum Pathol 18:511–520
Levitt RG, Husbond JE, Glaser HS (1983) CT of primary germ cell tumors of the mediastinum. AJR 142: 73–78
Bohle A, S.U., Sonntag RW, Scheidegger JR (1986) Primary of secondary extragonadal germ cell tumors? J Urol 135: 939–943
Boden G, Gibb R (1951) Radiotherapy and testicular neoplasms. Lancet 2:1195–1197
Cefaro GA, Luzi S, Turriziona A, Salvi G, Mermiroh L (1988) Primary mediastinal seminoma. Br J Urol 62:461–464
Shem JST, Fu KH, Choi PHK, Lau WH, Khim MA, Choy D (1990) Primary mediastinal seminoma. Oncology 47: 124–127
Kiffer JD, Saudeman TF (1989) Primary malignant mediastinal germ cell tumors: a study of eleven cases and a review of the literature. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 17:835–841
Uematsu M, Kondom, Dokiye T, Tamai S, Ando Y, Hashimoto S (1992) The role of radiotherapy in the treatment of primary mediastinal seminoma. Radiother Oncol 24: 226–230
Lee YM, Jackson SM (1985) Primary seminoma of the mediastinum. Cancer control agency of British Columbia experience. Cancer 55: 450–452
Motzer RJ, Bosl GJ, Geller NL, et al. (1988) Advanced seminoma: the role of chemotherapy and adjunction surgery. Ann Intern Med 108: 513–518
Giaccone G (1991) Multimodality treatment of malignant germ cell tumors of the mediastinum. Eur J Cancer 27: 273–277
Shultz SM, Einhorn LH, Conces DJ, Williams SD, Loehrer PJ (1989) Management of post-chemotherapy residual mass in patient with advanced seminoma: Indiana University experience. J Clin Oncol 7: 1497–1503
Logothetis CJ, Samuels ML, Selig DE, Dexens FH, Johnson DE, Swenson DA, von Eschenbach AC (1985) Chemotherapy of extragonadal germ cell tumors. J Clin Oncol 3:316–325
Blester RJ, Lippert MC, Mills SE (1987) Late recurrence of a seminoma. J Urol 137: 749–750
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1995 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Heitmiller, R.F., Marasco, W.J. (1995). Primary Mediastinal Seminoma. In: Wood, D.E., Thomas, C.R. (eds) Mediastinal Tumors. Medical Radiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79426-1_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79426-1_7
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-79428-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-79426-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive