What is teratoma?

Also known as: benign teratoma, malignant teratoma, germ cell tumor.

A teratoma is a fairly common congenital (develops before birth) type of solid tumor that contains normal looking tissues like hair, teeth and bone (and very rarely whole organs like, for example eyes).

Teratomas are typically found in the midline or gonads; most commonly in the sacrococcygeal area, the ovary, testicle, brain and other sites (like neck). They are usually benign (non-cancerous and don't spread), and can grow quite rapidly (sometimes they are malignant and can spread).


Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM

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