Diagnosing Germ Cell Tumors
The first step of diagnostic evaluation involves performing a physical examination and taking a careful medical history. This is generally followed by various procedures, depending on the particular symptoms:
- CT scan of chest, abdomen and pelvis, with oral and intravenous contrast
- Ultrasound of testes (if it is a testicular tumor) or abdomen (if it is an ovarian tumor)
- Blood tests for AFP and bHCG (these levels are elevated in some germ cell tumors)
- Blood tests to measure blood counts and liver and kidney functions
- Baseline hearing evaluation
- Pulmonary function tests for lung evaluation
- Nuclear medicine GFR test for kidney assessment
