[A case of intracranial germinoma with multiple remote metastases (author's transl)]

A case of suprasellar germinoma with multiple remote metastases was reported including its autopsy findings. Several series of radiation therapy and prolonged steroid administration were considered to be causes of immunosuppression bringing about such metastases. A 29-year-old man had undergone a suprasellar germinoma removal and 5,200 rad of postoperative local irradiation at a university hospital 5 months prior to the admission to our clinic. A walnut-sized left cerebellopontine angle mass was subtotally extirpated by us, which proved to be germinoma. Total dosis of 5,5550 rad with lineac was applied locally to the operated site. Since the second surgery, several nodules had been seen in the lumbosacral region, scalp and left cervical region, which were individually treated with lineac and beta-tron by 5,000, 6,000 and 4,750 rad. The patient had been on steroid substitution therapy for hypopituitarism since the first operation. Eventually the patient expired 9 months after the second operation. Autopsy findings included multiple metastases to the spinal arachnoid, dura, extradural space, spines, scalp, thoracic cage, lymph nodes, heart, lungs, liver, kidney, adrenal and pancreas. Nine cases including ours were reviewed as remote metastases of the tumors in the pineal region and of so-called ectopic pinealomas. The cases of only subarachnoid seeding of these were excluded in this study.