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Germ cells are the cells in your body that are used in sexual reproduction and live in the gonads (reproductive glands). Males have germ cells called sperm, found in the testes, and females have germ cells called eggs, found in the ovaries. Sometimes, germ cells are created in another part of the body and need to migrate to the gonads.
Like all cells in the body, germ cells can start to grow too fast or stop dying when they are supposed to. If this happens, the cells can grow into a lump called a tumor. If the tumor doesn’t spread to other parts of the body, it is called benign or noncancerous. If the cells in the tumor spread to other nearby parts of the body, the tumor is called malignant or cancerous.
Since most germ cells live in the gonads, they often turn into cancer of those body parts. However, germ cells that end up in other parts of the body can also turn cancerous. As a result, the three main types of germ cell cancer are:
Like other cancers, germ cell cancer begins to grow and then spreads. How much it has grown and spread is called the stage of the cancer. The stages of cancer are:
The symptoms of germ cell cancer can be very different for each person. Your child might have different symptoms, more severe symptoms, or no symptoms at all depending on these factors:
Symptoms are also different for different types of tumors caused by germ cell cancer. Germ cell cancer might cause any of the following:
Symptoms of testicular cancer include:
Symptoms of ovarian cancer include:
The symptoms of other germ cell cancers can vary depending on the part of the body the cancerous germ cells are growing in. Your child might have symptoms like:
Girls with ovarian or other germ cell cancers might have unusual vaginal bleeding. They might stop having their period or might not get it at a normal age.
You should see a doctor right away if your child shows any of the signs of testicular cancer, ovarian cancer, or another germ cell cancer. If the cancer is detected early, it will be easier to treat and cure.
Many of the symptoms of germ cell cancer can also be caused by other conditions. Some of these can be very serious. A doctor can do exams and tests to rule out other illnesses and diagnose germ cell cancer.
The basic cause of germ cell cancer is damage to the sperm or eggs that causes the cell to grow and reproduce without stopping. This can result in a lump of cells called a tumor. If this tumor starts to spread to other parts of the body, it is called cancer.
Most of the time, doctors aren’t sure what causes the cell damage that leads to germ cell cancer, but they have found some risk factors that can increase your child’s chance of getting ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, and other germ cell cancers. Some of these risk factors include:
If your child’s doctor thinks your child might have testicular cancer, ovarian cancer, or another germ cell cancer, they will do a physical exam and probably order imaging tests to take pictures of the part of your child’s body that has symptoms. They might also refer you to a pediatric oncologist, a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating cancer in children.
Some of the tests your child’s doctor or oncologist might do include:
In addition to imaging tests, your doctor might order a biopsy. In this procedure, the doctor takes a small piece of tissue from the part of your child’s body that might have cancer. This tissue is sent to a lab for testing, which might include cytogenetic analysis (looking at the tissue under a microscope) or immunochemistry (looking for certain chemicals that are signs of cancer).
If your child’s doctor thinks the cancer might have spread to other parts of their body, they might do more tests to look for cancer in nearby areas. These tests can include the imaging tests above as well as:
If your child is diagnosed with germ cell cancer, their doctor will probably do more tests to find out exactly where the cancer is and what stage it is at. This information will help your doctor decide if your child should have treatment, and what treatment will be best. Common treatments include:
Sometimes, your child has a very early stage of cancer, or cancer that is hard to treat with chemotherapy or radiation. In these cases, they may choose to watch your child’s cancer for signs that it is growing or changing.
Because doctors aren’t sure what causes germ cell cancer, there are not good ways to prevent it. This is especially true in children, where cancer is rare, harder to predict, and more often the result of congenital disorders that were present from birth or in your child’s genes. If you are planning to have children, genetic counseling might help give you more information about diseases like germ cell cancer that you could pass on to your children.
Germ cell cancer is an abnormal growth of germ cells, the cells in your child’s body that turn into sperm and eggs. This cancer can affect the ovaries, testes, or other parts of the body where germ cells travel and can get stuck.