Risk of contralateral testicular cancer: a population-based study of 29,515 U.S. men.
BACKGROUND
Although risk estimates for synchronous and metachronous contralateral testicular cancers vary widely, many clinicians recommend routine biopsy of the contralateral testis for patients diagnosed with unilateral testicular cancer. We evaluated the risk of contralateral testicular cancer and survival in a large population-based cohort of men diagnosed with testicular cancer before age 55 years.


METHODS
For 29 515 testicular cancer cases reported to the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program from 1973 through 2001, we estimated the prevalence of synchronous contralateral testicular cancer, the observed-to-expected ratio (O/E) and 15-year cumulative risk of metachronous contralateral testicular cancer, and the 10-year overall survival rate of both synchronous and metachronous contralateral testicular cancer, using the Kaplan-Meier method for the two latter assessments. Age-adjusted multivariable analyses were used to examine risk according to histologic type of the original cancer.


RESULTS
A total of 175 men presented with synchronous contralateral testicular cancer; 287 men developed metachronous contralateral testicular cancer (O/E = 12.4 [95% confidence interval {CI} = 11.0 to 13.9]; 15-year cumulative risk = 1.9% [95% CI = 1.7% to 2.1%]). In the multivariable analysis, only nonseminomatous histology of the first testicular cancer was associated with a statistically significantly decreased risk of metachronous contralateral testicular cancer (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.46 to 0.79; P<.001). Increasing age at first testicular cancer diagnosis was associated with decreasing risk of nonseminomatous metachronous contralateral testicular cancer (odds ratio = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.86 to 0.94). The 10-year overall survival rate after metachronous contralateral testicular cancer diagnosis was 93% (95% CI = 88% to 96%), and that after synchronous contralateral testicular cancer was 85% (95% CI = 78% to 90%).


CONCLUSIONS
The low cumulative risk of metachronous contralateral testicular cancer and favorable overall survival of patients diagnosed with metachronous contralateral testicular cancer is in accordance with the current U.S. approach of not performing a biopsy on the contralateral testis.
Fosså
Sophie D
SD
Department of Clinical Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, University of Oslo, Norway. s.d.fossa@radiumhospitalet.no
Chen
Jinbo
J
Schonfeld
Sara J
SJ
McGlynn
Katherine A
KA
McMaster
Mary L
ML
Gail
Mitchell H
MH
Travis
Lois B
LB
D000328:Adult; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004407:Dysgerminoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018426:SEER Program; D018239:Seminoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology