Teratoma as an Active Metabolic Reservoir

Mature teratoma arising in non-seminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGCT) is conventionally regarded as chemoresistant but biologically inert residual tissue requiring surgicalexcision. This perspective is based primarily on histological observations of differentiated,non-proliferating cells with minimal mitotic activity. However, systems-level analysis of tumor ecosystem dynamics reveals a strikingly different picture: mature teratoma functionsas an active metabolic reservoir, structural scaffold, and microenvironmental stabilizer thatenables the survival and recurrence of aggressive embryonal components