Teratomas: Abnormal or Normal-Sized Pieces?

[guywithdoubts]

Do pieces such as teeth grow to normal size in teratomas, or are they usually of abnormal dimensions? I have read of rare cases where (at least partially formed) jawbones were found in the tumor, but how much do they resemble the actual, functional body parts of the patient?

 

[jim mcnamara]

Based on the way you asked your question I'm guessing that terms like germ layer and gastrulation are not going to help.

Yes, some "organs" or tissues found to out of place (in teratomas) can look "normal". But out of place tissues and organs cannot "function" in the sense they ordinarily would. And really large teratomas are generally fatal. The embryo does not develop and dies. Or dies soon after birth.

What question are you really asking?

 

[guywithdoubts]

Oh I know they don't function and can be fatal. I'm just wondering about the size of teeth and jawbones in teratomas. Are they the same size of regular teeth and jawbones, or do they tend to be smaller/larger, or may they grow to any random size? I'm asking independently of the tumor in/from which they grow. Finding a picture of a tooth in a tumor is quite easy but I don't get a sense of dimension.

 

[jim mcnamara]

A lot of those things are embryonic sized, smaller than than "normal". I'm not an expert on this kind of thing, just basing it on what I've seen in medical museums like the one at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. I never saw a full-sized jaw, for example.