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Zh Vopr Neirokhir Im N N Burdenko 2021 ;85(1):78-86

Burdenko Neurosurgery Center, Moscow, Russia.

Objective: The analyze the neuro-ophthalmic outcomes in patients with pineal and suprasellar germinoma after complex treatment.

Material And Methods: There were 125 patients (88 males, 37 females) with primary CNS germinoma for the period 2008-2017. All patients were divided into 3 groups depending on the tumor localization: pineal area - 62 patients, suprasellar neoplasm - 38 patients, bifocal germinoma - 25 patients. Read More

Acta Radiol 2021 Jan 26:284185120986912. Epub 2021 Jan 26.

Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Roma-UOC Radiologia e Neuroradiologia, Polo Diagnostica per immagini, radioterapia, oncologia ed ematologia, Area diagnostica per immagini, Rome, Italy.

Background: High-grade pineal region tumors are rare and heterogeneous types of primary central nervous system neoplasms; radiological differential diagnosis is challenging but it is important because it has a therapeutic relevance.

Purpose: To discriminate among high-grade pineal region tumors by combining apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) volumetric values and qualitative features in order to predict their histology.

Material And Methods: Twenty-two patients with high-grade pineal region tumors were assessed by qualitative and quantitative analysis. Read More

Cancer Invest 2021 Feb 6;39(2):195-201. Epub 2020 Nov 6.

Institut d'Hématologie et d'Oncologie Pédiatrique, Lyon, France.

Background: Extragonadal germ cell tumors (GCTs) are thought to arise as a result of local transformation of primordial gonadal cells (PGCs) that become misplaced during embryogenesis. With the exception of bilateral testis tumors, metachronous GCT (i.e. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2020 Sep 14;12(9). Epub 2020 Sep 14.

Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.

Suprasellar germ cell tumors (S-GCTs) are rare, presenting in either solitary or multifocal fashion. In this study, we retrospectively examine 22 solitary S-GCTs and 20 bifocal germ cell tumors (GCTs) over a 30-year period and demonstrate clinical, radiographic, and prognostic differences between the two groups with therapeutic implications. Compared to S-GCTs, bifocal tumors were almost exclusively male, exhibited higher rate of metastasis, and had worse rates of progression free and overall survival trending toward significance. Read More

Neuropathology 2021 Feb 9;41(1):37-41. Epub 2020 Sep 9.

Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.

Desmoplastic myxoid tumor (DMT), SMARCB1 mutant is a recently proposed new entity that mainly occurs in the pineal region and has epigenetic features similar to those of atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors (AT/RT)-MYC and poorly differentiated chordomas. Herein, we present a new case of a 33-year-old man with headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and blurred vision, who was initially found to have a suspicious germinoma on imaging. After surgical removal of the lesion, the postoperative pathological diagnosis was DMT, SMARCB1 mutant. Read More

Pediatr Blood Cancer 2020 07 19;67(7):e28407. Epub 2020 May 19.

Children & Young People's Unit, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

Little is known about pseudoprogression in brain tumours other than gliomas. A 9-year-old male child with a pineal teratoma/germinoma underwent surgical resection followed by adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy. The magnetic resonance imaging scan 4 months post-radiotherapy showed a contrast-enhancing lesion within the surgical cavity suspicious of recurrence. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Aug;98(34):e16652

Department of Neurosurgery, Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

Introduction: Tumors of the pineal region are rare, and metastatic carcinoma occurring in the pineal region is extremely rare. No previous reports have described pineal region metastasis with intraventricular seeding.

Patient Concerns: We report a case of a 51-year-old woman presented with a 1-week history of severe headache, nausea, and vomiting. Read More

NMC Case Rep J 2019 Aug 11;6(3):75-78. Epub 2019 Jun 11.

Department of Neurosurgery, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Niigata, Japan.

Germ cell tumors typically occur in children and adolescents. We here report a rare case of pineal region germinoma in the seventh decade of life. A 62-year-old man presented with double vision. Read More

J Neurol Sci 2019 Sep 13;404:40-43. Epub 2019 Jun 13.

Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 22, 8036 Graz, Austria. Electronic address:

Neuroendocrinology 2020 4;110(5):422-429. Epub 2019 Jul 4.

Department of Endocrinology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India,

Germinomas are highly immunogenic tumors eliciting a strong peri-tumoral immune response that can spillover into the surrounding healthy tissues. This phenomenon can also occur in intracranial germinomas, manifesting as secondary hypophysitis. Herein, we report a case of 12-year-old-girl presenting with polyuria and polydispsia. Read More

Malays J Pathol 2019 Apr;41(1):71-73

National University of Malaysia, Department of Pathology, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Introduction: Intratumoral calcification is a feature that is more often observed in pineal parenchymal tumour than germinoma. We describe a 13-year-old male with pineal region germinoma demonstrating extensive intratumoral calcification.

Case Report: He presented with worsening headache that was associated with fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Read More

Childs Nerv Syst 2019 09 22;35(9):1615-1619. Epub 2019 Feb 22.

Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.

Primary intracranial germinoma is a rare central nervous system tumor that usually arises in the pineal and the supra-sellar region. Here, we report a rare case of primary intracavernous sinus germinoma with an atypical extension pattern, with a comparison to germinomas originating from the cavernous sinus as described in the existing literature. A 12-year-old boy was admitted to our hospital with the chief complaint of the left-side ptosis and double vision. Read More

Endocrinol Diabetes Metab Case Rep 2019 Feb 7;2019. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism.

Intracranial germinomas are rare tumors affecting mostly patients at young age. Therefore, molecular data on its etiopathogenesis are scarce. We present a clinical case of a male patient of 25 years with an intracranial germinoma and a 16p11. Read More

Br J Neurosurg 2018 Nov 19:1-8. Epub 2018 Nov 19.

a Department of Neurosurgery , West China Hospital, Sichuan University , Chengdu , Sichuan 610041 , China.

Background: Intracranial germinomas are uncommon and constitute less than 1% of all intracranial tumors. They usually arise in the midline of the brain, most commonly in the pineal region. Pineal germinomas tend to spread through the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Read More

Endokrynol Pol 2018 ;69(5):612-618

Clinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Clinical Centre of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia, Serbia and Montenegro; University of Belgrade, School of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia.

Background: Intracranial germinomas (ICG) are uncommon brain neoplasms with extremely rare familial occurance. Since ICG invades hypothalamus and/or pituitary, the endocrine dysfunction is one of the common determinants of these tumors. We presented two brothers with the history of ICG. Read More

Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep 2018 Sep 19;11:142-145. Epub 2018 Jul 19.

Department of Surgery, Division of Ophthalmology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-2 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.

Purpose: To report a rare case of bilateral periphlebitis associated with a pineal germinoma.

Observations: A 17-year-old male teenager presented at a local clinic complaining of blurred vision in both eyes. The treating physician identified bilateral uveitis, and prescribed the patient with a local steroid treatment. Read More

World Neurosurg 2018 Sep 15;117:165-171. Epub 2018 Jun 15.

Pathology Institute of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Brazil.

Background: Germinomas are rare malignant central nervous system tumors, a type of germ cell tumor, according to the 2016 World Health Organization Classification of Brain Tumors. Most of these tumors develop along the midline, most often from the pineal gland, followed by tumors arising in the suprasellar cisterns. Suprasellar germinomas commonly manifest with diabetes insipidus, visual impairment, and hypothalamic-pituitary failure. Read More

Asian J Neurosurg 2018 Apr-Jun;13(2):492-495

Department of Neurosurgery, SGPGIMS, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Germ cell tumors (GCTs) are rare intracranial tumors with a strong predilection for children. Commonly, these tumors arise either in the suprasellar or the pineal region. The basal ganglia-thalamus complex represents a rare site of nonmidline intracranial GCTs. Read More

World Neurosurg 2018 Apr 20;112:e84-e94. Epub 2017 Dec 20.

Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.

Background: The differentiation of germinoma from other tumors by conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be very difficult. The purpose of our study was to determine whether diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) could provide additional useful information for a definitive diagnosis of germinomas.

Methods: Our hospital's Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective study. Read More

J Neuroophthalmol 2018 Jun;38(2):198-199

Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (SYS), The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Department of Ophthalmology (SYS), Dean McGee Eye Institute, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Department of Neurology (JHP), NorthShore University Health System, Glenview, Ilinois; Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (SK), NorthShore University Health System, Glenview, Illinois; and Department of Pathology (JML), NorthShore University Health System, Evanston, Illinois.

Neuroradiology 2018 Jan 23;60(1):27-34. Epub 2017 Sep 23.

Imaging Department, Institut Curie, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France.

Purpose: The current staging system of central nervous system (CNS) germ cell tumors (GCT) includes a binary classification in "localized" or "metastatic" disease based on the absence or presence of leptomeningeal dissemination. Loco-regional tumor dissemination has been barely described whereas its accurate definition might be useful in terms of prognosis and treatment, especially for radiation therapy planning. Our purpose was therefore to describe MR patterns and prevalence of loco-regional extensions of these tumors. Read More

World Neurosurg 2017 Dec 24;108:939-947.e1. Epub 2017 Aug 24.

Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.

Background: Tumors arising from the pineal region account for approximately 1% of intracranial neoplasms. We present a case of a previously healthy 5-year-old boy with an acute onset of headache. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan showed a pineal mass with aqueduct compression. Read More

World Neurosurg 2017 Nov 24;107:974-982. Epub 2017 Jul 24.

Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Université de Sherbrooke, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada. Electronic address:

Background: Pineal region tumors represent a rare and histologically diverse group of lesions. Few studies are available to guide management and the outcomes after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS).

Methods: Patients who underwent SRS for a pineal region tumor and for whom at least 6 months of imaging follow-up was available were retrospectively assessed in 5 centers. Read More

World Neurosurg 2017 Oct 12;106:430-434. Epub 2017 Jul 12.

Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.

Objective: A neuroendoscopic biopsy has become common for the diagnosis of ventricular tumors. However, its utility in patients with germ cell tumors (GCTs) has not been well discussed. We examined the usefulness and pitfalls of neuroendoscopic biopsies of intraventricular GCTs at a single institution. Read More

J Neurooncol 2017 Aug 27;134(1):221-230. Epub 2017 May 27.

Department of Neurosurgery, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.

Intracranial germ cell tumors differ in histology and location, and require different clinical management strategies. We characterized the imaging features that may aid pre-operative differentiation of intracranial germinomas and non-germinomatous germ cell tumors (NGGCTs). This retrospective study analyzed 85 patients with intracranial germ cell tumors and adequate preoperative or pretreatment MRIs between 2000 and 2013 at our institution. Read More

J Neurooncol 2017 Aug 20;134(1):119-124. Epub 2017 May 20.

Department of Neurosurgery, Kansai Medical University Hospital, 2-5-1 Shinmachi, Hirakata, Osaka, 573-1010, Japan.

5-Aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) fluorescence-guided surgery is widely used for detection and planning of resection of malignant gliomas and other brain tumors. However, no reports have described 5-ALA fluorescence-guided surgery or direct visualization of germ cell tumors. Here, we report two cases of germ cell tumors in which a positive 5-ALA fluorescent signal was visualized with a neuroendoscope. Read More

Pediatr Blood Cancer 2017 Oct 24;64(10). Epub 2017 Apr 24.

Department of Radiotherapy, Institut d'Hématologie et d'Oncologie Pédiatrique, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France.

Objective: Patients with brain tumors often report having visual complaints. This may be due to increased intracranial pressure, compression/invasion of the optic pathway or diplopia. We assessed the incidence and the etiology of visual symptoms in patients with intracranial germinoma tumors (ICGTs). Read More

Neurosurg Rev 2018 Jan 1;41(1):197-206. Epub 2017 Mar 1.

Department of Neurosurgery, Ehime University School of Medicine, 454 Shitsukawa, Toon, Ehime, 791-0295, Japan.

The aim of the study is to identify characteristic features of pineal germinoma that enhance preoperative accuracy in differentiating germinoma from other pineal region tumors. Twenty-one consecutive patients with pineal region tumors were enrolled. In all patients, tumor resection was performed to verify the histology. Read More

Childs Nerv Syst 2017 May 24;33(5):859-863. Epub 2017 Feb 24.

Department of Pathology, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.

Introduction: Intracranial teratomas are rare germ cell neoplasms that contain tissues derived from all three germ cell layers and most commonly occurring during childhood. This is the first report of pineal region mixed mature teratoma and germinoma in two fraternal brothers of fraternal triplets.

Case Presentation: We report the case of a mixed mature teratoma and germinoma of the pineal region in two brothers of fraternal triplets. Read More

Rom J Morphol Embryol 2016 ;57(3):1045-1050

"Fundeni" Urological Surgery Discipline, 3rd Department, Faculty of Medicine, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Center for Uronephrology and Renal Transplantation, "Fundeni" Clinical Institute, Bucharest, Romania;

Introduction: Retroperitoneal seminoma is a very rare form of cancer, with embryological origin represented by primordial germ cells from the urogenital ridges left behind during the fetal development. Extragenital germ cell tumors can also occur in the mediastinum or the pineal gland. The aim of this paper is to outline the particularities and draw embryological, histopatological and treatment conclusions regarding extragonadal germ cell tumors. Read More