Teratoma classification and nomenclature

Teratoma is a common tumor disease in the oncology department. Many people are accustomed to calling it embryonal tumor. It is caused by lesions in the ovarian germ cells. According to the course of development, it can be divided into mature teratoma and immature teratoma. Mature teratoma is a benign teratoma, and immature teratoma is a malignant teratoma. The early symptoms are not obvious. Once discovered during a physical examination, timely treatment is required. So, how are teratomas classified and named?

Overview of teratoma disease: teratoma is a tumor originating from embryonic multi-embryonic tissues. It is rare for teratoma to occur in the pharynx, and is mostly located in the nasopharynx. It is more common in women than in men and is a benign tumor. The etiology and pathology of teratoma are unknown. It may be a true tumor originating from multi-embryonic tissues. Some people also believe that some cells in the embryo are separated from the overall influence, forming a chaotic differentiation and over-reproduction. The tissue composition of teratoma is complex, with at least tissues from two germ layers, and the classification and naming are confusing.
Commonly used categories are:

① Dermoid tumor or dermoid cyst: This type is more common and originates from the ectoderm and mesoderm. The surface of the tumor is the skin, including sebaceous glands, sweat glands, hair, hair follicles, etc. The matrix is ​​mainly adipose tissue, muscle, cartilage, bone, teeth, nerve and brain tissue, etc. The various components are arranged in a disordered manner and do not form a complete organ.

② Teratoma and true teratoma: They come from three embryonic layers, including the respiratory and digestive tract epithelium derived from the endoderm. The former is poorly differentiated and has no organ-like tissue, while the latter is well differentiated and has an organ-like tissue structure. Patients may suffer from congenital head malformations.

③ Maxillary parasitic fetus: It is a highly differentiated teratoma with mature organs and limbs. It has the same embryonic axis as the host and can be identified with the naked eye.

Clinical manifestations Small teratoma of the pharynx is often asymptomatic and missed. Sometimes it is found during the examination of the pharynx. Slightly larger tumors can partially block the pharyngeal cavity and cause snoring, discontinuous sucking, more nasal secretions, heavy nasal voice, itchy throat, nausea, vomiting, etc. Most tumors have pedicles. If a larger tumor is perpendicular to the hypopharynx and laryngeal vestibule, suffocation may occur; if it falls into the esophagus, there will be difficulty in swallowing; if it blocks the nasopharynx, it will cause mouth breathing and difficulty in feeding children. Physical examination shows that most tumors have pedicles, are highly active, and are polyp-like and blocky. The base of the pedicle is mucosa. The surface of the tumor is gray or translucent, with countless yellow cilia or hair. Diagnosis and differentiation Larger tumors are easy to diagnose, while small tumors and those located in the nasopharynx are more difficult to diagnose. Nasopharyngeal palpation, skull base X-rays, CT and other examinations can help with diagnosis. The diagnosis is based on pathological results.