title: Surveillance following orchidectomy for stage I seminoma of the testis.
abstract: From 1985 to 1988, 261 unselected patients entered a nationwide Danish study of surveillance only for testicular seminoma stage I. The median follow-up time after orchidectomy was 48 months, range 6-67 months. 49 patients relapsed (19%). Sites of relapse were paraaortic lymph nodes in 41 patients, pelvic lymph nodes in 5, inguinal lymph nodes in 2 and lung metastases in 1 patient. The median time to relapse was 14 months, range 2-37 months. The 4-year relapse-free survival was 80%. 37 of the relapsing patients (76%) had radiotherapy as relapse treatment. Of these patients, 4 (11%) had a second relapse and received chemotherapy. 1 died of disseminated seminoma. Of the relapsing patients, 12 (24%) had chemotherapy as relapse treatment because of bulky (11 patients) or disseminated disease (1 patient). None of these patients have had a second relapse. However, 2 patients died of infection due to chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. Thus, there have been three seminoma-related deaths (1.1%). The testicular tumour size had an independent prognostic significance. The 4-year relapse-free survivals were 94, 82 and 64% for tumours < 3, 3 to < 6 and > or = 6 cm, respectively. Patients with tumours > or = 6 cm will now be given prophylactic radiation treatment, whereas we will continue to use surveillance only after orchidectomy for patients with tumours < 6 cm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: von der Maase
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Specht
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jakobsen
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Madsen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rørth
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schultz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009919:Orchiectomy; D018239:Seminoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome