title: [Surgical resection of a massive residual retroperineal mass after chemotherapy in non-seminomatous germ cell tumor of the testis: a borderline case].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  According to the last EAU Guidelines about testicular cancer, surgical resection of residual masses after chemotherapy in NSGCT is indicated in the case of visible residual masses and when serum levels of tumor markers are normal or normalizing. If markers are not normalized and when several chemotherapeutic regimens have failed to cure metastatic disease, resection of residual tumors (so called "desperation surgery") should be offered to these patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We are going to present the case of a 30-year-old patient, affected by metastatic NSGCT. According to the prognostic-based staging system for metastatic germ cell cancer, our patient was in the poor prognosis group. The retroperitoneal mass involved all major vascular structures and still caused a bilateral obstruction of the upper urinary tract. Histological examination after radical orchiectomy revealed embryonal carcinoma and immature teratoma. The patient underwent a four-cycle VIP chemotherapy and then salvage chemotherapy with four cycles of TIP. After chemotherapy, the patient still presented large multiple metastatic localizations. Tumor markers were reduced but not normalized. The patient was then proposed for the resection of residual tumor. The residual mass could not be dissected from the left renal pedicle, so the left nephrectomy was unavoidable. The mass was hardly detached from vena cava and aorta. A bilateral iliac and retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy was performed. At the end of the procedure, the retroperitoneal space was completely free.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Post-operative hospital stay was regular. A CT scan performed 3 months after the procedure did not show any residual lesion in the retroperitoneum. Three and six months later, the patient underwent the residual tumor resection of the right mediastinum and then of the left mediastinum and supraclavear metastases. Afterwards the patient underwent an EP consolidation chemotherapy. The patient is alive, 12 months after the retroperitoneal surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our experience confirms that resection of residual tumors is safe and feasible also in cases of very large abdominal disease.
authors.affiliation: Divisione Universitaria di Urologia 2, AOU San Giovanni Battista Molinette, Torino, Italy. andrea.buffardi@yahoo.it
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buffardi
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Destefanis
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lillaz
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bosio
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bisconti
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Maria
authors.forename: Mariateresa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carchedi
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rolle
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fontana
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*