title: Preservation of antegrade ejaculation in retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy due to residual masses after primary chemotherapy for testicular carcinoma.
abstract: We report 18 consecutive patients with testis cancer and retroperitoneal residual masses with normal tumor markers, who underwent lymphadenectomy. Aiming to preserve the antegrade ejaculation, we carried out surgical modifications which basically attempt to preserve: (1) both sympathetic lumbar trunks, (2) the superior hypogastric plexus and (3) some of the postganglionic branches. With a mean follow-up of 28.1 months (range 6-62 months), 15 (83.3%) of the 18 patients preserved ejaculation, without significant differences between ejaculation volumes before and after lymphadenectomy. At the present time, 3 of 4 possible patients have fathered children. Mass size seems to be an important predictive factor of ejaculation preservation. One patient relapsed in the retroperitoneal dissection area, representing a recurrence rate of 5.5%. The disease-free survival rate was 94.4%, and 1 patient died due to disease progression with lung recurrence. Thus preservation of ejaculation was possible in most of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Solsona
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Iborra
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Ricós
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Monrós
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dumont
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Casanova
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Guillem
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004542:Ejaculation / Q000502:physiology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000379:methods*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D012187:Retroperitoneal Space; D015996:Survival Rate; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors