[Retroperitoneal germ cell tumors with high level of serum and urine hCG in an adult: a case report].

A case of retroperitoneal germ cell tumors in a 32-year-old male is reported. He was admitted to our hospital with complaints of lumbago and abdominal mass. He was diagnosed with primary retroperitoneal malignant tumor and underwent resection of the tumor with retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy. The final pathological diagnosis revealed germ cell tumors of more than one histological type in the retroperitoneal space. Serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and hCG-beta levels were very high preoperatively (4,8000 mIU/ml, 57 ng/ml, respectively) and they decreased to normal after vinblastine-bleomycin cisplatin combination chemotherapy three times postoperatively. The patient later developed a solitary lung metastasis and died in another hospital 7 months after the operation. Retroperitoneal germ cell tumors in adults are rare. One question continually arises: are they extragonadal occurrences or germ cell tumors or do they represent metastatic lesions from occult testicular tumors?