Outcomes of pediatric patients with malignant extracranial germ cell tumors at a tertiary care hospital in Mexico

Introduction Germ Cell Tumors (GCT) are the second most common malignancy in adolescence. Extracranial malignant GCT (eGCT) are much more common among adolescents, representing approximately 15% of cancer diagnoses in this age group. Treatment for these tumors involves surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Total tumor resection is a primary prognostic factor. The most common treatment regimen consists of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin. In Latin America, data are scarce. Some reports show that the most frequent age of presentation is in adolescents aged 15–19 years. Material and methods A retrospective study was conducted from January 2014 to December 2024, accepting 60 newly diagnosed patients with malignant eGCT at a tertiary care hospital in Mexico. The chemotherapy regimens used were CISCA II and BEP. We performed descriptive statistics, as well as Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Results The mean patient age was 10.5 + 4.5 years. The adolescent group was the most significant (48.3% of the total of all patients). The most common histology was mixed tumor in 35% of patients. The most frequent primary site was the gonadal region in 95% of patients; 53.3% of patients presented in advanced stages III and IV. The overall survival rate was 94.9%, and the relapse-free survival rate was 88.5%. Three deaths were recorded in 10 years. Five patients with hypoacusis were recorded, and in one case, a decrease in the LVEF was observed, with no change in functional class. Conclusions In conclusion eGCT are highly curable diseases. In this series of cases, good long-term results were observed.