Does age affect the prognosis of patients with testicular germ cell tumor?
BACKGROUND
In this study, the effect of age on the prognosis of testicular germ cell tumors in patients over 40 was investigated.


METHODS
Ninety-three patients with testicular germ cell tumor who were 40 years old and over were identified in our germ cell tumor database. Patients were grouped according to their age with those between 40 and 44, 45 and 49 and 50 and over constituting groups I, II and III, respectively.


RESULTS
Only 15% of the patients of group III had localized disease (p = 0.002). Group III patients had a significantly lower response rate to initial chemotherapy and a higher disease progression rate during therapy (complete response rate: 33.3%, progression rate: 44.4%, p = 0.035). The multivariate analysis revealed that advanced stage was the only independent prognostic factor for survival (p = 0.0011).


CONCLUSIONS
Testicular germ cell tumor patients over 50 years old presented with a more advanced stage and had higher disease progression and disease mortality rates.
Inci
Kubilay
K
Department of Urology, Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Dogan
Hasan Serkan
HS
Akdogan
Bulent
B
Ergen
Ali
A
Tasar
Celik
C
Ozen
Haluk
H
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019992:Databases as Topic; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents