Testicular tumours (nonseminomatous)

Abstract

In view of the excellent results of multimodal therapy for nonseminoma testicular tumours, with chemotherapy and surgery, attempts have been made to reduce the side-effects of treatment in patients with a good prognosis, while maintaining efficacy. It is now generally accepted that surveillance after orchidectomy is suitable in patients with low-risk stage I disease. Nerve-sparing retroperitoneal lymph-node dissection as a primary treatment is a good alternative to primary chemotherapy in low-stage disease, i.e. high-risk stage I and stage IIa-b, enabling chemotherapy to be reduced by at least half, and decreasing the long-term side-effects of chemotherapy, especially cardiovascular, neuro-, nephro- and pulmonary toxicity. However, in patients with advanced disease and a poor prognosis, conventional chemotherapy is more likely to fail, and improving the treatment results by new schedules of chemotherapy (although more toxic) remains the main goal.