Organ-sparing surgery for adult testicular tumours: a systematic review of the literature

Context: According to current guidelines, radical orchidectomy is the standard treatment for testis tumours of malignant and unknown origin. Testis-sparing surgery (TSS) has recently been proposed as an alternative option in selected cases.

Objective: Our aim was to analyse the cumulative evidence for TSS in the treatment of adult malignant tumours of different histology, including notes on operative technique, indications, complications, and oncologic and functional outcome.

Evidence acquisition: A systematic literature search of the Medline/PubMed database for full-length papers reporting on TSS for adult malignant tumours was performed up to September 2009. Bibliographies of retrieved articles and review articles were also examined. Only those articles with complete data on operative technique, complications, and oncologic or functional outcome were selected. Furthermore, published abstracts at major urologic meetings in the last decade (1999-2009) and guidelines on testis cancer from major oncologic and urologic medical associations were searched and evaluated.

Evidence synthesis: No randomised controlled trials have compared TSS and radical orchidectomy; only retrospective outcome studies and case reports on TSS are available. In patients with small malignant germ cell tumours arising in both or in solitary testes, TSS coupled with local adjuvant radiotherapy ensures good oncologic control and is associated with a preserved endocrine function in most cases. In patients with small Leydig cell tumours, TSS can also be performed with elective indications (healthy contralateral testes), provided that pathology fails to reveal aggressive features. Finally, TSS is an option for patients with small ultrasound-detected, nonpalpable tumours even with elective indications because the incidence of benign definitive histology is high at approximately 80%. The overall complication rate is low (<6%). Data on exocrine and endocrine gonadal function, male body image, and health-related quality of life after TSS are still immature.

Conclusions: TSS can be safely adopted for the treatment of carefully selected cases of tumours of different histology. Prospective multicentre studies are warranted to further qualify TSS as a treatment option to be recommended as an alternative to radical orchidectomy and to explore the perceived functional advantages of testis preservation.