A teratoma is a type of
neoplasm (specifically, a
tumor). The word teratoma comes from Greek and means roughly "monstrous tumor". Definitive diagnosis of a teratoma is based on its
histology: a teratoma is a tumor with
tissue or
organ components resembling normal derivatives of all three
germ layers. Rarely, not all three germ layers are identifiable. The tissues of a teratoma, although normal in themselves, may be quite different from surrounding tissues, and may be highly inappropriate, even grotesque (hence the monstrous): teratomas have been reported to contain
hair,
teeth,
bone and very rarely more complex organs such as
eyeball,
torso, and
hand. Usually, however, a teratoma will contain no organs but rather one or more tissues normally found in organs such as the brain, thyroid, liver, and lung.
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