Germ Cell Tumors

Germ Cell Tumors

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Treatment

Treatment depends on the location and type of your child's tumor and the extent of their disease. For some tumors, complete surgical removal is possible and effective, with close follow-up after surgery. Some germ cell tumors may be treated with radiation therapy alone or in combination with surgery. Chemotherapy is very effective for malignant germ cell tumors and is almost always used in combination with surgery.

With the exception of a relatively few germ cell tumors in children, cure rates are 90 percent or higher.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 8, 2007