Radiation therapy of testicular non-seminomas

The prognosis of 121 patients with a non-seminoma testicular tumor MTI or MTU was assessed. The clinical lymph node involvement and the T-category of the primary had a significant bearing on prognosis, which is completely determined by pulmonary relapse. The low-risk group (9% pulmonary relapse, all curable) is characterized by a primary category T1 or T2 with negative lymphangiography. The percentage of favorable patients is significantly higher if there is malignant teratoma intermediate (MTI) rather than malignant teratoma undifferentiated (MTU) histology. Systematic use of tumor markers (beta 1 -HCG and alpha fetoprotein), and perhaps an assessment of vascular invasion in the primary, might be useful to identify those patients in the unfavorable group who might benefit from elective chemotherapy.