Molecular biology of testicular germ cell tumors

Abstract

Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) are the most common solid tumors in young adult men. They constitute a unique pathology because of their embryonic and germ origin and their special behavior. Genetic predisposition, environmental factors involved in their development and genetic aberrations have been under study in many works throughout the last years trying to explain the susceptibility and the transformation mechanism of TGCTs. Despite the high rate of cure in this type of tumors because its particular sensitivity to cisplatin, there are tumors resistant to chemotherapy for which it is needed to find new therapies. In the present work, it has been carried out a literature review on the most important molecular aspects involved in the onset and development of such tumors, as well as a review of the major developments regarding prognostic factors, new prognostic biomarkers and the possibility of new targeted therapies.

Germ cell tumors: Insights from the Drosophila ovary and the mouse testis

“…Testicular GCTs represent 98% of all testicular cancer cases, whereas ovarian GCTs account for only 1–3% of all ovarian malignancies. Gonadoblastoma, another rare type of GCTs, occurs in individuals with disorders of sex development (DSD) (For comprehensive reviews of germ cell malignancies in humans, see Dolci et al, ; Jørgensen et al, ; Gonzalez‐Exposito et al, ; Litchfield et al, ; Rajpert‐De Meyts et al, ).…”

Genetic and cellular sensitivity of Caenorhabditis elegans to the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin

“…Cisplatin exerts activity against a wide spectrum of solid neoplasms, including testicular, bladder, ovarian, head and neck, gastric and lung cancers ( Dasari and Bernard Tchounwou, 2014 ). Strikingly, testicular cancer was previously fatal, but treatment with cisplatin provided a cure for 80% of the patients ( Gonzalez-Exposito et al, 2016 ). Despite its effectiveness, there are patients intrinsically resistant to cisplatin-based therapies, and an important fraction of tumors eventually develop chemoresistance ( Amable, 2016 ).…”

Diagnostic Applications of Nuclear Medicine: Testicular Cancer

“…The incidence of testicular cancer was estimated at 5.6 cases per 100,000 men in the United States in 2011, with a rising trend over the past decades in the United States and in the Western world in general [1]. Testicular cancer can affect men at all ages; its incidence peaks at ages between 25 and 29 years, with 14.3 cases diagnosed per 100,000 men per year in this age group.…”

“…There is a wide variability of incidence of testicular cancer among different races, the highest rates being reported among Caucasians and the lowest rates among Blacks and Asians. In the United States, the incidence of testicular cancer in White Americans is fivefold more common than in Black Americans and fourfold more common than in Asians [1].…”