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Treatment Option Overview
Treatment in a clinical trial
Different types of treatment are available for children with extracranial germ cell tumors. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment.
Because cancer in children is rare, taking part in a clinical trial should be considered. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Experienced doctors working together may provide the best treatment for
children with extracranial germ cell tumors. Your child’s treatment will often
be coordinated by a pediatric oncologist, a doctor who specializes in cancer in
children. The pediatric oncologist may refer your child to other specialists,
such as a pediatric surgeon, a psychologist, a radiation oncologist, and other
doctors who specialize in the type of treatment your child requires.
Treatment for extracranial germ cell tumor depends upon the location of the tumor, the stage of the tumor, and the type of tumor. The types of treatment
used for extracranial germ cell tumor are:
More than one method of treatment may be used, depending on the type of
extracranial germ cell tumor and how much cancer the patient has in his or her
body. Complete or near complete surgical removal of the tumor is often
possible. If the tumor cannot be completely removed, chemotherapy may also be
given.
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs may
be taken by mouth or injected into a vein (intravenous) or muscle.
Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the
bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the
body.
Treatment in a clinical trial
For some patients, taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice. Clinical trials are part of the cancer research process. Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment.
Many of today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. Patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to receive a new treatment.
Patients who take part in clinical trials also help improve the way cancer will be treated in the future. Even when clinical trials do not lead to effective new treatments, they often answer important questions and help move research forward.
Some clinical trials only include patients who have not yet received treatment. Other trials test treatments for patients whose cancer has not gotten better. There are also clinical trials that test new ways to stop cancer from recurring (coming back) or reduce the side effects of cancer treatment.
Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. In the following lists of treatments for the different types of childhood extracranial germ cell tumors, a link to search results for current clinical trials is included for each section. These have been retrieved from NCI's clinical trials database. For some types of tumors, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your child's doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but that may be right for your child.
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