Teratomas: A Multimodality Review

Germ cell tumors (GCTs) may occur in both children and adults and include a broad array of histologic subtypes, such as teratoma, seminoma (known as dysgerminoma in the ovary and germinoma in the pineal gland), choriocarcinoma, yolk sac tumor, embryonal cell carcinoma, and mixed GCT. In adults, GCTs occur most commonly in the gonads. In children, sacrococcygeal tumors predominate. Teratomas are a common form of GCT. They are defined histologically as containing tissues derived from all 3 germ cell layers: ectoderm, mesoderm (most teratomas contain fat, an imaging hallmark, which is a mesodermal derivative), and endoderm. Teratomas are also classified as mature or immature, depending on the degree of differentiation of its components, and in adults, immature tumors are more likely to exhibit malignant behavior.