Pineal and CNS germ cell tumors: royal marsden hospital experience 1962–1987

Effects of Therapy on Anterior Pituitary Functions in Patients with Primary Intracranial Germ Cell Tumor.

“…Conventional supervoltage irradiation has been known to be quite effective in the treatment of a "germinoma" type tumor , but to be relatively ineffective in the treatment of a "nongerminomatous" type tumor [7,8,[17][18][19]. The radio-resistance of non-germinomatous germ cells in nature has led to the use of combination chemotherapy [8,[17][18][19][20].…”

“…The radio-resistance of non-germinomatous germ cells in nature has led to the use of combination chemotherapy [8,[17][18][19][20]. Although long-term follow-up studies have not sufficiently been made, excellent response rates have been reported when cisplaitin and etoposide were given to 12 patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent germ cell tumors, suggesting that this chemotherapy is successful in the treatment of both geninoma and non-germinatous germ cell tumors [12].…”

“…However, some types of these tumors such as the non-germinomatous germ cell tumor were observed to be resistant to conventional radiotherapy [7,8]. Another disadvantage is that radiotherapy is causally related to the permanent dysfunction of the anterior pituitary gland [9].…”

Pre‐radiation chemotherapy with response‐based radiation therapy in children with central nervous system germ cell tumors: A report from the Children's Oncology Group

“…Germ cell tumors of the brain include pure germinomas, which may be successfully treated in 85-100% of patients with radiation therapy, and the more diverse nongerminomatous germ cell tumors, which tend to recur after standard radiation (20-45% reported 5-year survivals) [1][2][3][4][5]. The biologic disparity between pure germinomas and nongerminomatous tumors is also supported by the difference in mean age at diagnosis (adolescent versus middle school years), with nongerminomatous tumors having a more heterogeneous appearance with spread to distant structures [1][2][3][4][5].…”

“…The biologic disparity between pure germinomas and nongerminomatous tumors is also supported by the difference in mean age at diagnosis (adolescent versus middle school years), with nongerminomatous tumors having a more heterogeneous appearance with spread to distant structures [1][2][3][4][5]. With the goal of reducing potential late sequelae of cranial radiation [6][7][8][9][10][11], platinum-based regimens have sought to decrease radiation dose by administering chemotherapy before reduced radiation [12][13][14][15][16].…”