Carcinoma of the rete testis: case report and review of the literature

Abstract

The literature suggests that carcinoma of the rete testis is a rare neoplasm of unknown etiology that arises in the mediastinum testis and may grow slowly for months before clinical detection. Diagnosis is often confounded by symptoms suggesting inflammation in middle aged and older men presenting with diffuse enlargement rather than discrete testicular nodules. Pathological features are those of an adenocarcinoma but are not sufficiently distinctive to identify the rete testis as the site of origin. Many patients die of the disease soon after diagnosis despite local resection with or without adjuvant therapy. Long-term survival has been observed in at least 2 cases and more than 40% of the patients were alive without disease when reported in the literature. Much of the available information is incomplete, however, and firm conclusions regarding the nature of this cancer must await more solid data.