A teratoma is a rare type of germ cell tumor that may contain immature or fully formed tissue, including teeth, hair, bone and muscle. Teratomas may be cancerous or noncancerous, and they can affect people of all ages. Treatment involves surgical removal.
Teratomas can grow teeth, not through dark magic, but through the normal magic of germ cells — the type of stem cell that turns into an egg or sperm cell, which in turn can produce a fetus. Germ cells are "pluripotent," as scientists put it, which means they can produce all different types of tissue.
One theory of teratomas suggests that the condition originates in these primordial germ cells. This is called the parthenogenic theory and is now the prevailing view. It explains how teratomas can be found with hair, wax, teeth, and can even appear as an almost-formed fetus.
When cells grow old or become damaged, they die, and new cells take their place. Sometimes this orderly process breaks down, and abnormal or damaged cells grow and multiply when they shouldn't. These cells may form tumors, which are lumps of tissue. Tumors can be cancerous or not cancerous (benign).
What Causes Teratoma? Teratomas happen when complications arise during your cells' differentiation process. In particular, they develop in your body's germ cells, which are undifferentiated. This means they can turn into any type of cell – from egg and sperm to hair cells.
Tumours have been known to disappear spontaneously, in the absence of any targeted treatment, usually after an infection (bacterial, viral, fungal or even protozoal).
Brain cells are often found in ovarian teratomas, but it is extremely unusual for them to organise themselves into proper brain-like structures, says Masayuki Shintaku at the Shiga Medical Centre for Adults in Japan, who studied the tumour. Angelique Riepsamen at the University of New South Wales in Australia, agrees.
Malignant teratomas are known as teratocarcinomas; these cancerous growths have played a pivotal role in the discovery of stem cells. “Teratoma” is Greek for “monstrous tumor”; these tumors were so named because they sometimes contain hair, teeth, bone, neurons, and even eyes.
In rare cases, a mature cystic teratoma can turn into cancer, and survival rates are relatively low. According to a 2020 study , researchers described the survival rate of this type of ovarian cancer as: 2-year survival rate: 53% 5-year survival rate: 48.4%
Oral cancer forms when cells on the lips or in the mouth mutate. Most often they begin in the flat, thin cells that line your lips and the inside of your mouth. These are called squamous cells. Small changes to the DNA of the squamous cells make the cells grow abnormally.
But even small, benign wisdom tooth cysts often require surgical treatment. Oral cysts can grow over time, eventually causing structural damage to the jawbone, nearby teeth and nerves. In rare cases, a tumor may develop.
If the cancer has not spread beyond the mouth or the part of your throat at the back of your mouth (oropharynx) a complete cure may be possible using surgery alone. If the cancer is large or has spread to your neck, a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy may be needed.
Cancer cells may actually affect the behavior of the normal cells, molecules and blood vessels near a tumor. For example, cancer cells may recruit normal cells to develop new blood vessels. These vessels keep the tumor alive—and give it a chance to grow—by providing it with oxygen and nutrients.
A teratoma is a rare type of germ cell tumor that may contain immature or fully formed tissue, including teeth, hair, bone and muscle. Teratomas may be cancerous or noncancerous, and they can affect people of all ages. Treatment involves surgical removal.
Tumor rupture is an uncommon, life-threatening presentation among NB patients, and several studies have reported that these patients have a poor prognosis [2]. Some patients are diagnosed with NB following spontaneous tumor rupture as the initial presentation.
Pain could happen if the cancer grows into or destroys nearby tissue. As a tumor grows, it can press on nerves, bones or organs. The tumor can also release chemicals that can cause pain. Treatment of the cancer can help the pain in these situations.
TNM staging system
T describes the size of the tumour, with numbers 1 to 4 (1 for small, 4 for large)
Pericardial teratomas are rare tumors that arise from the sac lining of the heart. They can grow rapidly, leading to pericardial effusion and an in utero cardiac tamponade physiology. Massive growth of the tumor compresses the heart, leading to fetal hydrops and death.
Conclusion(s): Growing teratoma syndrome is an extremely rare metastatic complication of a malignant germ cell tumor after a combination treatment with surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. This case shows that successful pregnancy outcome is possible after effective treatment for ovarian growing teratoma syndrome.
They're typically a benign tumour surrounded by a capsule, making them relatively easy to remove. Not to be confused with parasitic twins, which grow from a separate embryo that was absorbed while in the womb, teratomas are made from our own errant cells.
Here's the take-home point: a 1 millimeter cluster of cancerous cells typically contains somewhere in the ball park of a million cells, and on average, takes about six years to get to this size. Generally, a tumor can't be detected until it reaches the 1 millimeter mark.
Cancerous tumors can come back after treatment (cancer recurrence). These tumors can be life-threatening. Noncancerous: Benign tumors are not cancerous and are rarely life-threatening. They're localized, which means they don't typically affect nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body.
For example, one way the immune system fights cancer is by sending out a special form of white blood cells called T cells: The T cells see cancer as “foreign” cells that don't belong in the body. The T cells attack and try to destroy the cancerous cells.