title: Orchidectomy alone in testicular stage I non-seminomatous germ-cell tumours.
abstract: 53 patients with clinical stage I non-seminomatous germ-cell testicular tumours were entered into a prospective study to receive no treatment other than orchidectomy until unequivocal clinical evidence of metastases was established. Of this group, 9 men (17%) have relapsed, 8 within six months of orchidectomy. All 9 are alive and disease-free after chemotherapy. The relapse rate was higher in patients with malignant teratoma undifferentiated (embryonal carcinoma) primary tumours than in those with malignant teratoma intermediate (teratocarcinoma); 42.8 and 3.4%, respectively. The results were compared with those from 157 men treated by orchidectomy and radiotherapy for stage I disease. In this group, 49 patients (25.8%) relapsed and 85% of relapses occurred within one year of orchidectomy. The tempo relapse was identical for embryonal carcinoma and teratocarcinoma. Of 32 patients in whom serum markers were measured before orchidectomy, 24 (75%) had raised levels of alphafetoprotein and/or beta human chorionic gonadotropin. These preliminary results imply that routine lymphadenectomy or lymph node irradiation in clinical state I testicular non-seminoma may be unjustifiable.
mesh_terms: D004407:Dysgerminoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013724:Teratoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*