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Radiol Case Rep 2022 Sep 18;17(9):3015-3018. Epub 2022 Jun 18.

Department of Radiology - CHU Hassan II. Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohamed BenAbdellah University. Fez, Morocco.

Primary intracranial germ cell tumors are rare, often affecting children and young patients. Germinomas are the most common type of germ cell tumors. We present the case of a 10-year-old child, who was admitted with decreased visual acuity, asthenia, polyuro-polydipsic syndrome, and gait disorder. Read More

Radiol Case Rep 2022 Sep 17;17(9):2940-2945. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Department of Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.

Tumors of the pineal region are a rare clinical entity, comprising approximately 3%-8% of pediatric tumors. Based on their histopathological features, they are typically classified as pineal parenchymal tumors and germ cell tumors, with the latter being more prevalent. Clinical presentation is heterogeneous, with symptoms arising either due to tumor invasion or compression of adjacent neurovascular structures and increased intracranial pressure. Read More

Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep 2022 Sep 18;27:101589. Epub 2022 May 18.

Division of Ophthalmology, Shinseikai Toyama Hospital, Imizu, Toyama, Japan.

Purpose: To report a case of bilateral ocular paraneoplastic syndrome by seminoma/germinoma in thymus and pineal glands, two primary lesions.

Observations: A 18-year-old male presented at a local clinic complaining of just floaters in left eye without any other clinical signs and symptoms. The treating ophthalmologist found bilateral uveitis, and referred to our hospital. Read More

Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2022 Mar 28:e1611. Epub 2022 Mar 28.

Oncology and Radiotherapy Service, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain.

Background: Intracranial germinomas (GN) are rare cancers that primarily affect children, making them rarer still in adults. Standard treatment for this neoplasm includes neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NC) followed by radiotherapy (RT) or RT at a higher dose and larger field. These recommendations are based on studies focused mostly on children; it is currently unclear whether this treatment is applicable to adults. Read More

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021 24;12:789109. Epub 2022 Jan 24.

Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.

Intracranial germ cell tumors (GCTs) are relatively rare, which account for 0.5% of all primary intracranial neoplasms. Intracranial germinomas most commonly occur in the pineal and suprasellar region, making up the majority of all intracranial GCTs. Read More

Surg Neurol Int 2022 20;13:29. Epub 2022 Jan 20.

Department of Neurosurgery King Abdullah Medical City, Makkah, Western Saudi Arabia.

Background: Pineal tumors are uncommon tumors that affect <1% of adults, with 50% of them being germinomas. A combination of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) and tumor biopsy is usually used. Cerebral vasospasm in association with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) has been extensively studied. Read More

NMC Case Rep J 2021 16;8(1):645-650. Epub 2021 Sep 16.

Department of Neurosurgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan.

Although the synchronous occurrence of testicular seminoma and systemic sarcoidosis has been reported, that of intracranial germinoma and systemic sarcoidosis is unknown. A 26-year-old man presented with symptoms of panhypopituitarism and consciousness disturbance. Imaging demonstrated a large nodule in the upper right lung field and swelling of multiple bilateral pulmonary and mediastinal lymph nodes in addition to the bifocal pineal and suprasellar tumors with obstructive hydrocephalus. Read More

Radiother Oncol 2022 02 13;167:277-284. Epub 2022 Jan 13.

Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, China. Electronic address:

Background: Preoperative differential diagnosis of pineal region tumor can greatly assist clinical decision-making and avoid economic costs and complications caused by unnecessary radiotherapy or invasive procedures. The present study was performed to pre-operatively distinguish pineal region germinoma and pinealoblastoma using a clinicoradiomic model by incorporating radiomic and clinical features.

Methods: 134 pineal region tumor patients (germinoma, 69; pinealoblastoma, 65) with complete clinic-radiological and histopathological data from Tiantan hospital were retrospectively reviewed and randomly assigned to training and validation sets. Read More

Surg Neurol Int 2021 14;12:612. Epub 2021 Dec 14.

Department of Neurosurgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan.

Background: Diffuse midline glioma (DMG) is an invasive astrocytic tumor arisen from midline structures, such as the pons and thalamus. Five cases of DMG in the pineal region have been reported, but the clinical course was poor; there was no case of survival for more than 2 years.

Case Description: We report the case of a 12-year-old boy with DMG in the pineal region who is living a normal daily life for more than 6 years following multimodal treatment. Read More

Front Neurol 2021 20;12:722696. Epub 2021 Aug 20.

Department of Pediatric Neurology, University Children's Hospital, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

With the increasing availability and advances in brain imaging, pineal cyst lesions (PCL) are becoming a common finding in the pediatric population. In the absence of evidence-based guidelines, optimal diagnostic and therapeutic approaches have not been established, and there is a risk of under- or overtreatment of these patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical presentation and radiological features of PCL in a cohort of pediatric patients and to identify clinical parameters more commonly associated with neoplasms in the pineal region. Read More

J Pers Med 2021 Jul 14;11(7). Epub 2021 Jul 14.

Department of Endocrinology, "Iuliu Hațieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca, 8 Victor Babes Street, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Intracranial germinomas are rare tumours, usually affecting male paediatric patients. They frequently develop in the pineal and suprasellar regions, causing endocrinological disturbances, visual deficits, and increased intracranial pressure. The diagnosis is established on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers, and tumour stereotactic biopsy. Read More

J Clin Imaging Sci 2021 19;11:35. Epub 2021 Jun 19.

Department of Radiology, King Abdul Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

We are reporting a case of 16-year-old boy presented with severe headache and blurred vision. MRI showed a pineal region mass that was initially thought to be a germinoma. Endoscopic biopsy revealed tuberculoma which is an exceedingly rare and unusual location for CNS tuberculoma. Read More

Rare Tumors 2021 20;13:20363613211026501. Epub 2021 Jun 20.

Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.

The diagnosis and management of mixed intracranial germ cell tumors may be complicated by the diversity present within this tumor category. Mixed germ cell tumors demonstrate variable natural histories which may be altered by the inclusion of even the most minute immature histological components. We report the case of an 18-year-old male who presented with a 3-month history of progressive headache and nausea leading to lethargy. Read More

Zh Vopr Neirokhir Im N N Burdenko 2021 ;85(3):86-92

Burdenko Center of Neurosurgery, Moscow, Russia.

The authors report a patient with recurrent bifocal germinoma of the optical nerves and chiasm after previous combined treatment. The tumor resulted progressive visual acuity loss despite subsequent therapy (glucocorticoid therapy, chemo- and radiotherapy). Differential diagnosis between tumor progression and consequences of radiotherapy was complicated by MRI negative pattern. Read More

Childs Nerv Syst 2021 08 24;37(8):2531-2537. Epub 2021 May 24.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 119, South 4th Ring West Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100070, China.

Purpose: To explore the characteristics of growth disturbance in patients with intracranial germinoma with different origins.

Methods: Clinical data of 151 patients with single-origin germinomas were studied retrospectively. Z-score of height (ZSOH) at both diagnosis and the last follow-up was calculated using the WHO AnthroPlus software. Read More

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

Clin Neurol Neurosurg 2021 Mar 13;202:106481. Epub 2021 Jan 13.

Department of Radiotherapy & Oncology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India. Electronic address:

Objective: Intracranial germ cell tumors (GCTs) are relatively rare neoplasms, representing 2-3 % of paediatric brain tumors in Western countries and 8-15 % in East Asia. Here, we discuss the clinical features and treatment outcomes in patients with central nervous system (CNS) GCTs treated at our institute.

Methods: Medical records of all primary CNS GCT patients were retrieved retrospectively from 2007 to 2019. Read More

Acta Radiol 2022 Feb 26;63(2):222-231. 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

Childs Nerv Syst 2022 01 20;38(1):179-183. Epub 2021 Jan 20.

Department of Neurosurgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Pineal region tumors are rare and a heterogenous group of primary central nervous system tumors which are primarily classified as germ cell tumors and non-germ cell tumors. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy as the primary treatment modalities have been reported to result in good outcomes. We discuss the case of a young girl who presented to our emergency department in an unconscious state and had a large lesion in the posterior third ventricular region, but without any associated hydrocephalus which could explain her stuporous state. Read More

J Cancer Res Ther 2020 Oct-Dec;16(6):1459-1465

Department of Pediatric Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.

Purpose: Intracranial germ cell tumors (ICGCTs) comprise approximately 0.4%-3% of all brain tumors. In this study, we aim to evaluate clinical characteristics, treatment and outcomes of patients with ICGCT. Read More

World Neurosurg 2021 03 9;147:144-149. Epub 2020 Dec 9.

Department of Neurosurgery, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA.

Background: Biopsy of pineal region neoplasms is frequently accomplished by way of endoscopic transventricular access or using an image-guided, computer-assisted stereotactic approach.

Methods: We evaluated a nonorthogonal lateral temporal approach for stereotactic biopsy of pineal region tumors as a variation of previously described stereotactic methods. Magnetic resonance imaging-guided frameless stereotaxy was used to plan and perform biopsies of pineal region tumors using a nonorthogonal trajectory extending from the superior or middle temporal gyri through the temporal stem, anterior to the atrium of the lateral ventricle, and posterior to the corticospinal tract. 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

Cancer Res Treat 2020 Oct 9;52(4):1050-1058. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

Purpose: Whether craniospinal irradiation (CSI) could be replaced by limited-field radiation in non-metastatic bifocal germinoma remains controversial. We addressed the issue based on the data from our series and the literature.

Materials And Methods: Data from 49 patients diagnosed with non-metastatic bifocal germinoma at our hospital during the last 10 years were collected. 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