title: Supraclavicular node biopsy in staging testis tumors.
abstract: Supraclavicular node biopsy has been advocated previously as a routine staging procedure for patients with testicular tumors. Of 73 patients with testis tumors the scalene node biopsy revealed metastasis in only 3 of 61 patients with non-seminomatous tumors and in 1 of 12 patients with seminoma. Furthermore, all 4 patients were known to have other metastases; in 3 of the 4 patients a palpable supraclavicular mass was noted as well. The low yield of this procedure, in conjunction with a complication rate of 8%, mitigates against the routine use of supraclavicular node biopsy in patients without a palpable supraclavicular mass.
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy / Q000009:adverse effects; D004407:Dysgerminoma / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*