Gynecologic Cancer Intergroup (GCIG) Consensus Review for Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors

Most women diagnosed with malignant ovarian germ cell tumors have curable disease and experience excellent survival with manageable treatment-associated morbidity, related both to tumor biology and improvements in treatment over the last 4 decades. Malignant ovarian germ cell tumors occur predominantly in girls, adolescents, and young women and are often unilateral tumors of early stage, although advanced-stage disease occurs in approximately 30% of patients. Tumors are usually chemosensitive, thereby allowing fertility-sparing surgery in most women with high chance of cure. Differences in practice do exist among providers in various subspecialties and geographic areas. In most settings, collaborative efforts among specialties allow the optimal treatment of women with these rare tumors, and implementation of standard guidelines at an international level should translate to effective clinical trial design, rapid accrual to clinical trials, and universally improved patient outcomes. This consensus guideline represents a summary of recommendations for diagnosis and management that has been agreed upon by cooperative groups worldwide. It builds upon individual publications including previously published summary documents and provides the most current practice standards validated worldwide.