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Teratoma

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A teratoma is a kind of tumor (neoplasm). Definitive diagnosis of a teratoma is based on its histology. A teratoma is a tumor with tissue or organ components resembling normal derivatives of all three germ layers.

There are rare occasions when not all three germ layers are identifiable. The tissues of a teratoma, although normal in themselves, may be quite different from surrounding tissues, and may be highly disparate; teratomas have been reported to contain hair, teeth, bone and very rarely more complex organs such as eyeball, torso, and hands, feet, or other limbs. Usually, however, a teratoma will contain no organs but rather one or more tissues normally found in organs such as the brain, thyroid, liver, and lung. A teratoma is an encapsulated tumor. Sometimes the capsule encompasses one or more fluid-filled cysts and when a large cyst occurs there is a potential for the teratoma to produce a structure within the cyst that resembles a fetus. In part because it is encapsulated, a teratoma usually is benign, although several forms of malignant teratoma are known and some of these are common. A mature teratoma typically is benign and more commonly is found in females, while an immature teratoma typically is malignant and more commonly is found in males.
Teratomas are thought to be present at birth (congenital), but often they are not diagnosed until much later in life.

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