Abstract
A 34-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of hoarseness and chest pain. A chest radiograph and computed tomography scan revealed a large mass that extended from the mediastinum to the right-sided lung field. Serum alpha-fetoprotein and beta-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin levels were extremely high. We diagnosed his tumor as a non-seminomatous mediastinal germ cell tumor. Although serum tumor marker levels normalized after chemotherapy, the tumor continued to increase in size. The patient was operated on with en bloc resection of the mediastinal mass. The tumor was pathologically identified as a germ cell tumor with somatic-type malignancy. The prognosis of mediastinal germ cell tumor with somatic-type malignancy is known to be extremely poor, and no effective treatment has been established. When the tumor continues to grow despite the normalization of serum tumor markers, we should consider this type of entity.
