CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Vol 22, 202-208, Copyright
© 1972 by American Cancer Society
Sacrococcygeal Teratomas in Children
Philip R. Exelby M.D.1
1 Chief of Pediatric Surgery Service, Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases, New York, New York.
1. Sacrococcygeal teratomas are seen most commonly in infancy and early childhood, a large portion being present at birth.
2. The tumor is seen predominantly in girls with a ratio of four females to one male.
3. Teratomas occur more frequently in twins or in families where there is a history of twins.
4. A tumor diagnosed before the age of four months is likely to be benign; a tumor diagnosed after the age of four months is likely to be malignant.
5. The cure rate of benign sacrococcygeal teratoma is over 90 percent; the cure rate of malignant teratoma is near zero.
6. All sacrococcygeal masses should be excised before the child is four months of age, if possible. If the tumor proves to be a teratoma, the whole tumor mass and entire coccyx must be removed.
