Bilateral testicular tumors: management and outcome in 21 patients.
BACKGROUND
The authors examined the clinical course of patients with bilateral testicular tumors to determine whether the outcome after treatment was different from patients with unilateral tumors.


METHODS
Using a computerized data base of 2088 patients with testicular carcinoma at Indiana University, 21 patients (1%) were identified with bilateral testicular carcinoma. A retrospective review of hospital and clinic charts was performed. Sixteen patients with metachronous and 5 patients with synchronous testicular tumors were identified.


RESULTS
Treatment was based on clinical stage and was similar to therapy given for unilateral disease. The mean age at presentation of the first testicular tumor was 28.4 years (range, 16-47 years). Approximately 50% of the second primary tumors presented > 5 years after the contralateral tumor. At a mean follow-up of 49.9 months (range, 1-276 months), 18 patients were without evidence of disease, 2 were alive with disease, and 1 patient had died of disease.


CONCLUSIONS
The treatment of patients with bilateral germ cell tumors is based on the pathology and clinical stage and should not be different from the traditional management of unilateral testicular carcinoma. Patients with unilateral testicular carcinoma should be informed of the necessity of long term follow-up because contralateral testicular carcinoma may occur as long as 25 years later.
Department of Urology, Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis, USA.
C L
CL
Coogan
R S
RS
Foster
G R
GR
Simmons
P G
PG
Tognoni
B J
BJ
Roth
J P
JP
Donohue
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome