Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39993293›Full record

ArticleJournal of neurosurgery. Case lessons2025

Mature teratoma with a germinoma component presenting with undetectable placental alkaline phosphatase in cerebrospinal fluid: illustrative case.

Sogo Oki, Shigeru Yamaguchi, Michinari Okamoto, Yukitomo Ishi, Hiromi Kanno-Okada, Emi Takakuwa, Yukayo Terashita, Shinsuke Hirabayashi, Kentaro Nishioka, Takayuki Hashimoto and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neurosurgery. Case lessons, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Sogo OkiDepartment of Neurosurgery, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.ORCID 0000-0001-7972-0219
Shigeru YamaguchiDepartment of Neurosurgery, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.ORCID 0000-0003-3710-5888
Michinari OkamotoDepartment of Neurosurgery, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
Yukitomo IshiDepartment of Neurosurgery, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.ORCID 0000-0003-4834-2619
Hiromi Kanno-OkadaDepartment of Surgical Pathology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
Emi TakakuwaDepartment of Surgical Pathology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
Yukayo TerashitaDepartment of Pediatrics, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.ORCID 0000-0003-1700-5337
Shinsuke HirabayashiDepartment of Pediatrics, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
Kentaro NishiokaDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-8272-7603
Takayuki HashimotoDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.ORCID 0000-0001-5276-3665
Atsushi ManabeDepartment of Pediatrics, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
Miki FujimuraDepartment of Neurosurgery, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-0991-0516

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDiagnosing intracranial mixed germ cell tumors (GCTs) can be challenging due to intratumoral heterogeneity. Placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a highly sensitive and specific marker for identifying pure germinomas and germinoma components within mixed GCTs. OBSERVATIONS: The authors present the case of a 6-year-old boy presenting with a 5-day history of vomiting and headache. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a heterogeneously enhanced mass with cystic areas in the pineal region. Preoperative serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein and human chorionic gonadotropin, as well as CSF PLAP levels, were not elevated, leading to a preliminary diagnosis of mature teratoma. The tumor was completely resected, and pathological examination of the resected tissue confirmed a mature teratoma with germinoma components. Given the diagnosis of mixed GCT with a germinoma component, the patient underwent postoperative radiation chemotherapy. There has been no recurrence after 8 years of follow-up. LESSONS: In this case, the preoperative CSF PLAP level failed to predict the presence of a germinoma component. This report highlights a potential limitation of CSF PLAP as a diagnostic marker, noting that CSF PLAP may be undetectable if the germinoma is confined to a localized area. https://thejns.org/doi/10.3171/CASE24588.

Indexed as

germinomamature teratomamixed germ cell tumorplacental alkaline phosphatase

Identifiers

PMID39993293
PMCPMC12327484

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.