TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 459. Germ Cell Tumors A1 - Olson, Thomas A. A2 - Rudolph, Colin D. A2 - Rudolph, Abraham M. A2 - Lister, George E. A2 - First, Lewis R. A2 - Gershon, Anne A. Y1 - 2011 N1 - T2 - Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e AB - Germ cell tumors are infrequent tumors in childhood and adolescence. These neoplasms comprise 2% to 3% of all tumors diagnosed in children and adolescents ages 0 to 15 years,1 with an annual incidence of approximately 3 per million. Extracranial germ cell tumors are more common in adolescents 15 to 19 years of age, accounting for 16% of cancer diagnoses in this age group (Fig. 459-1). Ninety percent of germ cell tumors diagnosed during adult life are gonadal, whereas two thirds of childhood germ cell tumors are extragonadal. The age distribution for childhood germ cell tumors is bimodal, with a peak at 3 years of age and a second peak during adolescence. One third of germ cell tumors of childhood are malignant, but most neonatal germ cell tumors, irrespective of location, are benign. However, despite the relative infrequency of malignant tissue, there is a high associated morbidity due to obstruction of airway, hydrops fetalis, and premature delivery.2,3 With advancing age, the proportion of malignant germ cell tumors increases. SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/10/11 UR - accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=7043667 ER -