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Medical Definition of Yolk sac tumour
1. An unusual and aggressive tumour of germ-cell origin that reproduces the extraembryonic structures of the early embryo. It is the most common malignant germ cell tumour found in children. It is characterised by a labyrinthine glandular pattern of flat epithelial cells and rounded papillary processes with a central capillary (schiller-duval body). The tumour is rarely bilateral. Before the use of combination chemotherapy, the tumour was almost invariably fatal. (12 Dec 1998)