title: The management and outcome of patients with germ-cell tumours treated in the Edinburgh Cancer Centre between 1988 and 2002.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Urological Oncology Section, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh, UK. grahame.howard@luht.scot.nhs.uk
authors.forename: G C W
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Conkey
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peoples
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: McLaren
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Hargreave
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Tulloch
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Kerr
mesh_terms: 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