Delayed orchiectomy after chemotherapy in patients with advanced testicular cancer.

INTRODUCTION: The therapeutic procedures in the management of testicular cancer are determined by histological findings in the removed testis and by the extent of the disease at the time of diagnosis. However, all advanced tumors could be treated by primary chemotherapy regardless of the histological findings. The current imaging techniques (ultrasound of the testis, abdominal and chest CT examination) and laboratory tests (determination of serum tumor markers AFP and hCG) provide sufficient evidence for the presence of cancer. When the diagnosis of advanced tumor is evident, it is possible to start the treatment without orchiectomy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the advantages of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy with delayed orchiectomy in the management of advanced testicular cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 36 patients with advanced germ cell testicular cancer underwent primary PVB or BEP chemotherapy without previous orchiectomy. Mean age of patients was 32 years. Detailed medical, surgical and urological examination showed pulmonary metastases and/or extensive abdominal tumorous masses imitating acute abdominal crisis and impaired drainage of the kidney due to ureteral obstruction. Searching for the origin, testicular tumor was detected. Eleven patients had a bulky disease in the retroperitoneum (Stage IIC), two had enlarged retroperitoneal lymph nodes (Stage IIB), two had enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes (Stage III) and other 16 patients had also pulmonary metastases, and 5 pts had pulmonary metastases only. The patients were treated with cisplatin-containing combination chemotherapy. Following completion of chemotherapy, orchiectomy was performed alone or simultaneously with retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) and/or lung metastasectomy in cases with persistent residual mass. Following orchiectomy the patients were regularly checked and in cases with viable malignant tumor found in the testis sequential chemotherapy was administered. Similarly when the relapse of the disease was detected, the patients were treated with sequential chemotherapy. RESULTS: Complete disappearance of metastases was observed in 12 patients following chemotherapy alone. The residual mass persisted in 24 patients (in 22 out of them in the retroperitoneum and in two patients also in the lungs) and was removed surgically. The viable tumor in the removed tissue was found in one patient. Delayed orchiectomy was performed simultaneously with surgical removal of residual mass in the retroperitoneum in 24 patients and as a separate procedure in 12 patients who have been considered to be complete responders following chemotherapy alone. Residual viable tumor in testicular specimen was found in three patients, necrotic or fibrotic tissue in 18, and mature teratoma in 15 patients. Overall survival of the patients was 26/36 (72.7%) at mean of 56.9 months (range 7-145 months, median 50 months) since the start of the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with advanced germ cell testicular cancer preference must be given to the early beginning of intensive chemotherapy without the need of tissue diagnosis of primary tumor that should be obtained by orchiectomy. Benefit of this therapeutic approach is the timely management of acute abdominal and/or pulmonary symptoms of life-threatening distant metastases.

Epidemiology of testicular tumors in Slovakia (1993-1997): preliminary report.

Worldwide increase of the incidence of testicular tumors was also reflected in the increasing number of these malignancies in the Slovak Republic. Lack of the accurate information about the occurrence of testicular tumors in Slovakia has helped to create a new multicentric retrospective study based on occurrence, histology, risk factors, diagnosis and treatment of this malignancy in Slovakia. The analysed study group consists of 1010 patients with testicular cancer, diagnosed from the beginning of 1993 to the end of 1997. Identification and histological data about the patients were obtained from the heads of departments of urology in Slovakia. In this study considerable differences were found between information obtained from departments of urology and information published by the National Cancer Register of the Slovak Republic. Ascertained information is higher than the one published by the National Cancer Register from the last five officially concluded years.

Bilateral testicular germ-cell tumors--a single centre long-term experience.

OBJECTIVES: The incidence of bilateral testicular tumors (BTT) had increased over the preceding decade. The aim of the present study is to analyse a group of patients with BTT and to high-light the need for long-term follow-up of patients treated in a single centre. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 27 (2.8%) out of 960 patients with germ-cell testicular tumors (GCTT), treated between 4/1977 and 8/2001, developed bilateral disease. All of them underwent radical orchiectomy (in one patient was done delayed orchiectomy after primary chemotherapy due to advanced disease). Additional treatment was planned according to the histologic type and clinical stage of the disease, and previous treatment as well. The survival data were reviewed. RESULTS: 24 out of 27 patients (88.9%) developed the 2nd tumor metachronously (median interval 66 months, range, 4-197 months) and three (11.1%) had synchronous BTT. Only 7 patients (25.9%) had identical histological types on both sides (6 of them with pure seminomas, one with embryonal carcinoma). Two of three synchronously developed BTT had different histologic types on both sides. GCTT of one histologic type were observed in respect of the first tumor: 11 seminomas, three embryonal carcinomas, in respect of the 2nd tumor: 10 seminomas, three embryonal carcinomas, in respect of the 2nd tumor: 10 seminomas, three embryonal carcinomas and one mature teratoma. GCTT of more than one histologic type were observed in respect of the first and the 2nd tumors: 6 mixed GCTT with seminoma component and 7 without seminoma component. Majority of BTT was presented in clinical stage I (in respect of the first tumor in 70.4%, in respect of the 2nd tumor in 62.9%). The median duration of the follow-up after the diagnosis of the first GCTT was 149 months (range, 13-288 months) and after the diagnosis of the contralateral GCTT was 68 months (range, 1-167 months). Twenty-five patients (92.6%) were alive with NED at their last follow-up visit. Two patients died by mean of 22.5 months (range, 21-24 months) after the 2nd orchiectomy. CONCLUSIONS: All patients with unilateral GCTT have an increased risk of developing a contralateral testicular tumor, even decades after diagnosis. Management should be individualised for each patient.

[Delayed orchiectomy and surgery of metastases after primary chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced testicular tumors]. / Odlozená orchiektómia a metastazektómia po primárnej chemoterapii v liecbe nádoru testis v pokrocilom stádiu.

OBJECTIVE: The therapeutic procedures in the management of testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) are determined by histological findings in the removed testis and by the extent of the disease at the time of diagnosis. However, all advanced TGCT could be treated by primary chemotherapy (CHT) regardless of histological findings. The current imaging techniques (ultrasonography of the testis, abdominal and thoracic CT examination) and laboratory tests (determination of serum tumor markers AFP and hCG) provide sufficient evidence for the presence of TGCT. In cases of acute abdominal and/or pulmonary symptoms because of life-threatening distant metastases, when the diagnosis of advanced TGCT is evident, it is possible to start the treatment without primary orchiectomy (OE). The aim of this study was to evaluate the advantages of neo-adjuvant CHT with delayed OE in the management of advanced TGCT. MATERIAL AND METHODS: During last 12 years a total of 40 patients with advanced TGCT were treated by neo-adjuvant cisplatin-based combination CHT without previous OE. Eleven patients had bulky mass in the retroperitoneum (Stage IIC), three patients had enlarged retroperitoneal lymph nodes (Stage IIB), two patients had enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes (Stage III). Another 24 patients had pulmonary metastases (Stage IV), 15 of them had also bulky mass in the retroperitoneum and 6 of them in the mediastinum. Following the completion of CHT, OE was performed alone or simultaneously with retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) and subsequent lung metastasectomy in cases with persistent residual mass. RESULTS: Complete disappearance of metastases was observed in 13 (32.5%) patients following PVB or BEP CHT alone. The residual mass in the retroperitoneum was removed surgically in 27 patients. In three of them residual tumorous mass was removed also from the lungs without finding of viable tumor. Viable malignant tumor in the removed retroperitoneal tissue was identified in two patients (7.4%). Residual viable malignant tumor in the testis was found in 5 patients (12.5%). Overall survival was 29/40 patients--72.5% (by mean of 55.2 months since the start of the therapy). CONCLUSIONS: The benefit of this therapeutic approach in the immediate management of acute abdominal and/or pulmonary symptoms of life-threatening distant metastases. Another advantage is the like hood of surgical treatment of residual metastatic masses simultaneously with delayed OE on the same day, under one anaesthesia.

The value of prognostic factors in the management of stage I nonseminomatous germ cell testicular tumors (NSGCTT).

The prospective study, carried out from February 1992 to January 1996, included 49 patients in clinical Stage I nonseminomatous germ cell testicular tumors (NSGCTT). They were aged 16-40 years (mean, 25 years). Patients were stratified to different risk-adapted therapeutic approaches according to histopathologic findings of primary tumor removed by inguinal orchiectomy. Eleven patients of the 1st group with vascular invasion and majority of embryonal carcinoma components in the primary tumor were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy (2 cycles of BEP). None of them had disease progression after the follow-up of 4-43+ months (mean, 20.9 months) after orchiectomy. Five patients of the 2nd group with vascular invasion and majority of teratoma elements in the primary tumor were treated with primary retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND). They were followed-up 29-45+ months (mean, 33.4 months) after orchiectomy. Two of them (40%) had pathologic Stage II after RPLND and underwent subsequent BEP chemotherapy. One of them died due to disease progression in disseminated stage 29 months after orchiectomy. The second one lives with no evidence of the disease (NED). Thirty three patients in the 3rd group without vascular invasion were kept under surveillance. They were followed-up 3-48+ months (mean, 22.3 months) after orchiectomy. Disease progression was observed in 5 of them (15.1%), 7-10 months (mean, 8.8 months) following orchiectomy. These patients were treated with BEP chemotherapy and live with NED 1-16+ months (mean, 9.2 months) after completion of the therapy. The overall survival rate in clinical Stage 1 patients was 97.9%. The authors recommend the surveillance policy only in clinical Stage I NSGCTT patients without vascular invasion in the primary tumor.