Predictors of recurrent clinical stage I nonseminomatous testicular cancer. A prospective clinicopathologic study.

A prospective clinicopathologic study of 60 patients with clinical Stage I nonseminomatous testicular cancer (NSTC) has been reported. Of 60 patients with clinical Stage I NSTC who underwent retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy (RPLA), 6 proved to be Stage II, a staging error of 10 per cent. In 4 patients of the remaining 54, metastases developed in the lungs. In 1 patient metastases developed both in the lung and in retroperitoneal lymph nodes. There was no death in these groups of patients. These 10 patients with staging error and/or recurrence after RPLA have been analyzed for the causes of treatment failure utilizing a set of prognostic criteria (tumor cell type, vascular or lymphatic invasion in the primary tumor, extension to the spermatic cord, and size of the primary tumors). It has been concluded that embryonal carcinoma (P less than 0.001), vascular invasion (P less than 0.001), and extension of the tumor to the spermatic cord (P less than 0.001) are significant predictors of metastases and/or recurrence after RPLA in Stage I NSTC. A plan of management is suggested based on these criteria.