Gene Expression Profiling of Early- and Late-Relapse Nonseminomatous Germ Cell Tumor and Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor of the Testis

Abstract

This is the first study that used gene expression profiling to examine the molecular characteristics of the NSGCTTs and drug response in early- and late-relapse tumors. These results suggest that two molecularly distinct forms of NSGCTTs exist and that the integration of expression profile data with clinical parameters could enhance the diagnosis and prognosis of NSGCTTs. More importantly, the identified genes provide insight into the molecular mechanisms of aggressive NSGCTTs and suggest intervention strategies.