The management and outcome of patients with germ-cell tumours treated in the Edinburgh Cancer Centre between 1988 and 2002.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this retrospective analysis was to review the outcome of patients with germ-cell tumours treated in the Edinburgh Cancer Centre over the past 15 years, and to see whether there had been any changes over three 5-year cohorts.


METHODS
Patients referred with gonadal and extra-gonadal primary germ-cell tumours, between 1988 and 2002, were identified from the departmental database, and survival by stage and prognostic group was analysed.


CONCLUSIONS
The proportion of patients with stage I seminoma has significantly increased. The good prognosis of patients with early stage disease is confirmed, with the outcome for some groups of patients being better than expected. There is a non-significant trend to improved results over the three 5-year cohorts. The outcome for patients with stage IV seminoma is worse than would be expected, but numbers are small. The poor prognosis of patients with non-seminomatous germ-cell tumours who fall into the International Germ Cell Consensus Classification (IGCCC) poor-prognostic group is confirmed. Failure of patients with metastatic non-seminomatous germ-cell tumours to achieve a complete response to initial therapy is shown to be a poor prognostic indicator.
Howard
G C W
GC
Urological Oncology Section, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh, UK. grahame.howard@luht.scot.nhs.uk
Conkey
D S
DS
Peoples
S
S
McLaren
D B
DB
Hargreave
T B
TB
Tulloch
D N
DN
Walker
W
W
Kerr
G R
GR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome