Paediatric surgical oncology. 7—Germ cell tumours

Malignant germ cell tumours occur in children in widely differing sites in the trunk and cranium. The role of surgery in the treatment regimens has been made more definitive by advances in chemotherapy. For both the surgeon and the medical oncologist, serum tumour markers are reliable guides to the progress of disease and success of treatment. While correct surgical management alone is sufficient for a high cure rate of testicular tumours, good results for tumours in other sites are being obtained by careful planning of biopsy, chemotherapy and surgical excision.