Mediastinal germ cell tumour with massive pulmonary involvement

Multimodality treatment, with chemotherapy and surgery, is potentially curative in case of non-seminomatous germ cell tumours. The authors present the case of a primitive mediastinal GTC with bilateral lung metastases. The patient was treated with five cycles of chemotherapy. Restaging showed reduction of the extent and of 18 FDG intake and β-HCG serum levels. The patient underwent two-step surgical excision of the tumours: mediastinal lesion and 35 lung metastases were resected by a right thoracotomy and 39 metastases were removed by a left thoracotomy. Histology showed absence of viable tumour in all the specimens. Twelve months after surgery the patient is free of disease.