A Risk-Adapted Approach to Patients with Stage I Seminoma according to the Status of Rete Testis: The Fourth Spanish Germ Cell Cancer Group Study

Oncology. 2018;95(1):8-12. doi: 10.1159/000487438. Epub 2018 Mar 26.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess a risk-adapted strategy for stage I seminoma guided by the presence of rete testis invasion.

Methods: Between January 2013 and December 2015, a total of 135 consecutive patients with stage I seminoma from 18 Spanish tertiary hospitals were included in a prospective multicenter study. Median patient age was 38 years (range 22-60). Preoperative beta-human chorionic gonadotropin was elevated in 9.6% of patients. Rete testis invasion was present in 47.4% of patients. After orchiectomy, subjects with rete testis invasion were treated with 2 courses of adjuvant carboplatin (area under the curve of 7, with 21-day interval). Those without this risk factor were managed by surveillance. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method.

Results: After a median follow-up time of 33 months, only 6 relapses were recorded (5 on surveillance, 1 after carboplatin). These cases were rescued with BEP or EP chemotherapy, and all 135 patients are currently disease free without sequelae. Three-year DFS was 92.0 and 98.2% for patients on surveillance and after carboplatin, respectively. Three-year OS was 100%.

Conclusion: A risk-adapted approach based on rete testis invasion as a single risk factor is feasible and yielded an excellent outcome with a 3-year DFS of 94.9%.

Keywords: Adjuvant chemotherapy; Carboplatin; Rete testis invasion; Seminoma; Surveillance.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Carboplatin / therapeutic use*
  • Chorionic Gonadotropin / blood
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Orchiectomy
  • Prospective Studies
  • Rete Testis / pathology*
  • Seminoma / drug therapy*
  • Seminoma / pathology*
  • Seminoma / surgery
  • Spain
  • Testicular Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Testicular Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Testicular Neoplasms / surgery
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Chorionic Gonadotropin
  • Carboplatin