Human teratocarcinoma has long held a fascination to the pathologist be cause of the diversity of the seemingly benign differentiated tissues asso ciated with the tumor. An understanding of this diversity came with the demonstration of the pluripotent nature of the embryonal carcinoma cell, the stem cell of the tumor, in experimental animals. Single cell clones of murine embryonal carcinomas were derived and the resultant cell lines injected into immunosuppressed hosts, where the embryonal carcinoma stem cell itself gave rise to the wealth of differentiated tissues seen in teratocarcinomas....
Human teratocarcinoma has long held a fascination to the pathologist be cause of the diversity of the seemingly benign differentiated tissues asso cia...