Teratoma overview
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
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Teratoma Microchapters |
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Diagnosis |
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Teratoma overview On the Web |
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Overview
A teratoma is a type of neoplasm (specifically, a tumor). The word teratoma comes from Greek and means roughly "monstrous tumor". Definitive diagnosis of a teratoma is based on its histology: a teratoma is a tumor with tissue or organ components resembling normal derivatives of all three germ layers. Rarely, not all three germ layers are identifiable. The tissues of a teratoma, although normal in themselves, may be quite different from surrounding tissues, and may be highly inappropriate, even grotesque (hence the monstrous): teratomas have been reported to contain hair, teeth, bone and very rarely more complex organs such as eyeball, torso, and hand. Usually, however, a teratoma will contain no organs but rather one or more tissues normally found in organs such as the brain, thyroid, liver, and lung.
Teratomas are thought to be present at birth, but often they are not diagnosed until much later in life.