title: Primary carcinoid tumor of the testis: case report.
abstract: Carcinoid tumor of the testis is exceedingly rare. Most carcinoid tumors occur in the appendix or ileocecal region (85%), while others are found in the lung, liver, and genitourinary tract (15%). A primary carcinoid testis tumor may originate from argentaffin or Kulchitsky's cells, which are located in the Lieberkuhn crypt. Preoperative ultrasound may show a solid, hypoechoic, well-defined margin mass combined with calcification or a cyst. Differential diagnosis of the ultrasound appearance is testicular tumor (teratoma/embryonal cell carcinoma), epidermoid tumor, tuberculous epididymo-orchitis, and the result of trauma. Radical orchiectomy remains the main treatment for a carcinoid testis tumor. Grossly, surgical removal of the tumor presents with a solid mass, tan to white in color. Immunohistochemical study shows that tumor cells are diffusely reactive to antibodies to keratins AE1 and AE3, chromogranin-A, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and synaptophysin. A pure primary testicular carcinoid tumor has been treated as a benign lesion, while metastatic carcinoid tumor has a poor prognosis regardless of the primary site. To rule out the possibility of metastasis resulting from an extra-testicular primary carcinoid, careful and thorough postoperative whole body surveys are important. Chest X-ray, chest computed tomogram (CT), abdominal and pelvic CT, and octreotide scintigraphy are indicated. We herein describe a case of primary carcinoid tumor of the testis and review the literature.
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Ying-Hsu
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Cheng-Keng
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: Chun-Te
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Kwai-Fong
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Shuen-Kuei
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Liao
mesh_terms: D002276:Carcinoid Tumor / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography