生殖细胞肿瘤

概述

生殖细胞瘤是由生殖细胞形成的细胞增生物，有良性和恶性之分。大多数生殖细胞瘤出现在睾丸或卵巢中。

有些生殖细胞瘤出现在身体的其他部位，例如腹部、脑部和胸部，但是尚不清楚原因。睾丸和卵巢之外其他部位的生殖细胞瘤（性腺外生殖细胞肿瘤）非常罕见。

生殖细胞瘤的治疗方案可能包括手术切除肿瘤、药物化疗杀死癌细胞以及高能量束放射疗法。

症状

Symptoms of germ cell tumors depend on where they happen. Symptoms often happen because a growing tumor puts pressure on nearby tissue or organs. For example, a germ cell tumor in an ovary may lead to pelvic pain, back pain, bloating or swelling in the belly. A germ cell tumor in a testicle may cause swelling or pain in the testicle or scrotum. A lump in the testicle is a common symptom of a testicular germ cell tumor.

病因

It's not clear what causes germ cell tumors. Germ cell tumors form in the cells that turn into eggs in the ovaries and into sperm in the testicles. Germ cell tumors happen when germ cells develop changes in their DNA. A cell's DNA holds the instructions that tell the cell what to do. In healthy cells, the DNA tells the cells to grow and multiply at a set rate. The DNA also tells the cells to die at a set time.

In tumor cells, the DNA changes give different instructions. The changes tell the tumor cells to grow and multiply quickly. Tumor cells can keep living when healthy cells would die. This causes too many cells. The tumor cells can form a mass that can grow and press on nearby tissue or organs.

Sometimes the DNA changes turn germ cells into cancer cells. Cancer cells can invade and destroy healthy body tissue. Cancer cells sometimes break away and spread to other parts of the body.

风险因素

Factors that may raise the risk of germ cell tumors include:

• Young age. Germ cell tumors tend to happen at a young age. For example, germ cell tumors that form in the ovaries are more common before age 20. Germ cell tumors that form in the testicles are most common between the ages of 15 and 35.
• Undescended testicle. Having a testicle that doesn't move down into its proper place in the scrotum before birth may raise the risk of a germ cell tumor in that testicle. The medical term for this condition is cryptorchidism.

Healthcare professionals haven't found anything that can prevent germ cell tumors.