A 25-Year Single Institution Experience With Surgery for Primary Mediastinal Nonseminomatous Germ Cell Tumors

Operative risks for PMNSGCT appear to be improved with the use of chemotherapy regimens that do not contain bleomycin. Patients pathologically demonstrating complete tumor necrosis in the residual mass after chemotherapy have excellent long-term survival, with decreasing survival after resection of teratoma and persistent germ cell or nongerm cell cancer. Patients pathologically demonstrating persistent germ cell or nongerm cell cancer have poor but possible long-term survival, which justifies an aggressive surgical approach in patients who are deemed operable.