Surgery

Source: Childhood Extracranial Germ Cell Tumors Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version, National Cancer Institute.

Source updated: July 19, 2024 · Captured 2026-09-09.

Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.

Context: Treatment Option Overview / The following types of treatment are used:

Surgery to completely remove the tumor is done whenever possible. If the tumor is very large, chemotherapy may be given first, to make the tumor smaller and decrease the amount of tissue that needs to be removed during surgery. A goal of surgery is to keep reproductive function. The following types of surgery may be used:

Source links and citations

Resection: Surgery to remove tissue or part or all of an organ.

Source links and citations

Radical inguinal orchiectomy: Surgery to remove one or both testicles through an incision (cut) in the groin.

Source links and citations

Unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy: Surgery to remove one ovary and one fallopian tube on the same side.

Source links and citations

After the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the surgery, some patients may be given chemotherapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left. Treatment given after surgery, to lower the risk that the cancer will come back, is called adjuvant therapy.

Source links and citations

Preserved source evidence · Independent clinical review pending · Not medical advice