Primary Intramedullary Spinal Cord Mixed Germinoma in Children: Report of One Case and Review of Literature

  Objective  To investigate the clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of primary intramedullary spinal cord germinoma(PISCG) in children.

  Methods  One child with primary intramedullary spinal cord mixed germinoma was reported in this article.To our knowledge, there has been no previous report of such cases at home and abroad. The related literature of PISCG was reviewed and analyzed.

  Results  The clinical manifestations of the 5-year-old boy included the progression of hip pain and precocious puberty. Alpha-fetoprotein(AFP) and β-human chorionic gonadotrophin (β-HCG) levels elevated obviously in serum and cerebrospinal fluid. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated an intraspinal mass extending from L2 to L3. Histopathological examination showed mixed germinoma (germinoma and teratoma). 18F-fluorodeoxy-glucose positron emission tomography(18F-FDG-PET) was applied to help displaying the lesion, evaluating therapeutic effect and monitoring recurrence via the maximum standardized uptake value(SUVmax). The child responded poor to radiotherapy, while fair to chemotherapy.

  Conclusions  PISCG in children is extremely rare.Its clinical manifestations are consistent with the involved segments of the spinal cord and should be differentiated from other primary tumors in spinal cord. Simple PISCG in children is sensitive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, with generally favorable prognosis.