Choriocarcinoma

[Sercan]

teratomas

another question about teratomas, i remember reading in the forum that teratomas can't spread through lympatic system alone! can anyone correct me?

[Fed]

Hey Fed, what exactly does "burnt out in the testicle" mean? - never heard that term used before

"Burnt out" means that the tumor grew so quickly, that it outlived its blood supply. Cancer cells have the uncanny ability to force detours on the bloodstream so they can feed; however, if the cancer grows too quickly and too aggressively, it will not receive sufficient nutrients to sustain such rapid growth. The end result is necrosis due to starvation.

another question about teratomas, i remember reading in the forum that teratomas can't spread through lympatic system alone! can anyone correct me?

Funny that you ask this... I actually asked my oncologist a question on the same lines. As it turns out, all of the germ cell tumors are capable of traveling through the bloodstream. The most accessible way to travel from the testis, though, is through the lymphatics, hence the predictable route of spread. The one that tends to break that rule frequently is chorio, for the same reason I mentioned at the beginning of the thread.

[CharlieFL]

Thanks Fed...you da man!

[Already Bald]

The one that tends to break that rule frequently is chorio, for the same reason I mentioned at the beginning of the thread.

Also Embryonal Carcinoma, as was my case. I had a clean RPLND, then recurrence of what we think is EC through the vascular system. (In right lung).
I had a needle biopsy of the lung tumor, which confirmed germ cell cancer, but not enough tissue to determine exact make up. Chemo cleared up the tumor, so it wasn't teratoma- and markers normalized after the I/O- so they told me it was likely EC.

So, thank you from me too, Fed. I didn't know that choria always produces high bHCG levels. You've helped me put some of the puzzle pieces together in my own health history.

LiveSTRONG,
Joe