Testicular germ cell tumor

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Tumors arising from germ cells of the testis. The most common form for testicular cancer. In fact it accounts for 95% of tumors arising in the testis. The remaining 5% mainly arise from Leydig cells or Sertoli cells.

The testicular germ cell tumors are histologically subdivided into seminomas and nonseminomas.

Germ cell tumors of the testis are the most common cancer in young men between the ages of 15 and 35 years. Before 1970, the young man with recurrent testicular cancer following orchiectomy was destined to have rapid progression and death from disseminated disease.

1 Risk Factors
2 Diagnosis
3 Differential Diagnosis
4 Management
5 References

[edit] Risk Factors

The major risk factors for the development of testis cancer are male gender and cryptorchidism.

[edit] Diagnosis

The diagnosis of germ cell tumor of the testis requires histopathologic examination of tissue obtained from an orchiectomy specimen. Inguinal orchiectomy, rather than transcrotal biopsy, is the preferred surgical approach for retrieval of diagnostic testicular tissue.

[edit] Differential Diagnosis

The cardinal diagnostic finding in the patient with testis cancer is a mass in the substance of the testis. Unilateral enlargement of the testis with or without pain in the adolescent or young adult male should raise concern for testis cancer.

[edit] Management

The management of established testis cancer is closely allied with its clinical stage. The inguinal orchiectomy is a therapeutic operation, in addition to its importance as a diagnostic procedure.

[edit] References

Crawford ED, Eisenberger MA, McLeod DG et al: Testicular Cancer
Anscher MS, Marks LB, Shipley WU: The role of radiotherapy in patients with advanced seminomatous germ cell tumors, * Oncology 6:97-104, 1992.
Catalona WJ, Bigg SW: Nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy: evaluation of results after 250 patients, J Urol 143:538-544, 1990.
Donohue JP, Thornhill JA, Foster RS et al: The role of retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy in clinical stage B testis cancer: the Indiana University experience (1965 to 1989), J Urol 153:85-89, 1995.