Is testicular germ cell cancer associated with increased muscle mass or adiposity?

INTRODUCTION

The correlation between an increased body mass index and testicular germ cell cancer has been a topical subject matter of literature. The thesis examines whether for patients with germ cell cancer of the testis the relation between the body cross section and the muscle mass at a particular spot at the abdomen is dislocated toward muscle hypertrophy.

PATIENTS, MATERIALS, AND METHODS: CT examinations of 120 patients with testicular tumor have been compared to CTs of 60 trauma surgery patients.

MEASUREMENTS

In thickness of the layer at the lowest point of the umbilicus the area of the total body cross section and the Mm. psoas majores were determined and their quotient was calculated. Furthermore, the thickness of the M. rectus abdominis and the Mm. obliquii abdominis have been determined at the broadest spot.

RESULTS

The reproducibility of the measured data has been extremely high (kappa >0.9). There has been no significant difference in any of the examined parameters between the comparison group and the total patient group.

DISCUSSION

According to the literature, patients with germ cell cancer of the testis on average show a higher body-mass-index (BMI) compared to a comparable group of equivalent age. The height of the umbilicus is a body region, where for adipose humans the amplitude increases markedly, hence for reference measurement appropriate. On the basis of the outcome of this thesis, the most probable explanation for the BMI rise is weight gain at other body parts.