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63-year-old woman with 2-weeks of diminished short term memory and bilateral papilledema. Neuroimaging showed a large solid and cystic mass in the suprasellar region extending into the base of the right frontal lobe.
Teratomas are germ cell tumours that differentiate along ectodermal, mesodermal, and endodermal lines. Intracranial germ cell neoplasms are rare and usually occur in younger patients and typically arise in the midline, especially the suprasellar or pineal region. Intracranial teratoma accounts for only 0.5% of all intracranial tumours. Mature teratomas are composed of fully differentiated tissue elements, while immature teratomas contain incompletely differentiated elements resembling fetal tissue. Mature teratomas are potentially curable by gross total resection.