Vaginal germ cell tumors: results from the international retrospective VAGIPED study.

BackgroundVaginal malignant germ cell tumors (MGCTs), predominantly yolk sac tumors, are extremely rare, with no established consensus on optimal management. This study evaluated whether post-chemotherapy surgery is necessary for vaginal MGCTs.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on patients diagnosed with vaginal MGCTs from 1996 to 2023. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), the impact of surgical intervention, and the presence of post-chemotherapy residual mass (RM) were assessed.ResultsSeventy-five patients (median age:11 months) were included. Six underwent initial tumor resection, and all received platinum-based chemotherapy. RM was detected post-chemotherapy in 57% of evaluable cases (40/70), with vaginoscopy outperforming standard imaging in detection (p