Testicular germ cell tumors: challenges in tumor diagnosis and pathological staging

Abstract

Testis tumors are the most common malignancies in young men. The most common testis tumors are germ cell tumors (GCT) that are considered curable diseases due to excellent prognosis. Management of GCT begins with radical orchiectomy. Once the specimen arrives on pathologist's bench, accurate diagnosis begins with obtaining proper clinical history, careful macroscopic examination, and proper sampling. Finally, the information provided by pathologist outlines the need for further treatment, clinical behavior, and outcome of tumor. Therefore, proper assessment of the tumor type and stage by the pathologist is of utmost significance. In this manuscript, we will review some of the most common pitfalls of the diagnosis and reporting the GCTs based on the observation of our referral cases.