What Is Germ Cell Cancer?
Germ cell cancer is a condition that affects the cells that form a man’s sperm or a woman’s eggs. Usually, germ cells are found in a woman’s ovaries or in a man’s testicles, but they are also found in other parts of the body, such as in the brain. Formation in other parts of the body may occur due to germ cells that failed to migrate to the reproductive organs during the earliest stages of human development. In men, germ cell cancer is usually diagnosed as testicular cancer. In women, it is most likely to develop as ovarian cancer. Though germ cell cancer affects cells related to the reproductive system, it isn’t limited to adults. It can inflict children too, though this is rare. In men from age 15 to 35, testicular germ cell tumors are the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer. In women with ovarian cancer, germ cell cancer is less frequently at fault, causing less than two percent of ovarian cancer cases.
