[The results of combined treatment for testicular tumours. Report of 12 cases (author's transl)]

Abstract

Over a ten year period, the authors have collected 120 cases of germinal tumours of the testis (35 seminomas and 85 non-seminomatous tumours). The largest single group was of mixed non-seminomatous tumours. The treatment of pure seminomas gave 100% good results by a combination of unilateral orchidectomy, radiotherapy and, in the case of stage III tumours with spread, chemotherapy. The prognosis of non-seminomatous tumours was dependent essentially upon the stage of spread. During the past three years, the best results of chemotherapy have been obtained with the combination of vincristin, bleomycin and platinum (1978, 1979, 1980). In his time, at stage I and stage II, all the patients are alive. Treatment consisted of a minimum of unilateral orchidectomy and retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy, Chemotherapy was envisaged only for those tumours with evidence of lymph node involvement. At stage III, they lost 3 patients out of 7, this being an excellent result bearing in mind the gravity of such tumours.