The pediatric oncologist may refer your child to other specialists, such as a pediatric surgeon, a psychologist, a radiation oncologist, and other doctors who specialize in the type of treatment your child requires. Treatment for extracranial germ cell tumor depends upon the location of the tumor, the stage of the tumor, and the type of tumor. More than one method of treatment may be used, depending on the type of extracranial germ cell tumor and how much cancer the patient has in his or her body. Complete or near complete surgical removal of the tumor is often possible. If the tumor cannot be completely removed, chemotherapy may also be given.
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells.
Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the body. Your child may receive treatment that is considered standard based on its effectiveness in a number of patients in past studies, or you may choose to have your child enter a clinical trial. Not all patients are cured with standard therapy and some standard treatments may have more side effects than are desired. For these reasons, clinical trials are designed to test new treatments and to find better ways to treat people with cancer. If the tumor is a mature teratoma, the treatment will be surgery to remove the tumor and possibly some of the surrounding tissues or structures.