What are the symptoms of teratoma?

  Teratomas are the most common germ cell tumors, including mature teratomas and immature teratomas. Mature teratoma is a benign tumor, more common, and can occur at any age, mostly in 20-40 years old; immature teratoma is a malignant tumor, less common, mostly seen in young patients, with an average age of 11-19 years old. Benign tumors and early stage cancer are often asymptomatic, but those with symptoms can be manifested as follows: 1. Gastrointestinal symptoms: large tumors or late stage cancer can have indigestion, constipation, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal discomfort, and gradually appear as abdominal distension.  2.Lower abdominal mass: Patients can touch the lower abdominal mass by themselves, unilaterally or bilaterally. The surface of benign masses is often smooth, while the surface of malignant masses is uneven.  3.Compression symptoms: Larger tumors increase the pelvic pressure and obstruct the venous return to the heart of lower limbs, causing swelling of lower limbs. When there is concurrent ascites, it can produce corresponding compression symptoms, such as difficulty in breathing, palpitation and epigastric fullness.  4. Abdominal pain: When the tumor is twisted, internal bleeding, necrosis, rupture or infection, it can cause abdominal pain. When malignant tumor invades pelvic wall and involves nerves, pain may appear and radiate downward.  5.Menstrual abnormalities: Some patients may have menstrual abnormalities, such as menstrual disorders, irregular vaginal blood, amenorrhea and postmenopausal vaginal bleeding.  6.Thoracic and ascites: It is common in ovarian epithelial malignant tumor, manifested as abdominal distension or dyspnea.  7.Cachexia: Patients with advanced malignant tumor have cachexia, wasting and other cachexia manifestations, and even intestinal obstruction.  In summary, early cancer and benign tumor of teratoma are often asymptomatic. Symptoms of malignant tumor will show gastrointestinal reactions, cause swelling of lower limbs when compressed, and produce dyspnea when complicated by ascites, and also cause abdominal pain, abnormal menstruation, thoraco-abdominal fluid and the patient’s body wasting.