Single drug therapy in non-seminomatous germinal cell tumours of the testicle.

The outcome for 84 patients in different stages of non-seminomatous germinal cell tumours of the testicle and treated with Mithramycin as a single agent has been evaluated. The survival rate in patients with advanced disease was lower than that obtained by more aggressive chemotherapy and, therefore, in these stages Mithramycin therapy is not recommended. On the other hand, the survival rate in patients with low-stage disease was superior to that in other series of patients subjected to bilateral lymphadenectomy without subsequent adjuvant chemotherapy. In the present study a unilateral gland dissection with preservation of a normal sexual function was performed in the vast majority of patients. Single-drug chemotherapy should preferably be used only as adjuvant treatment in low-stage non-seminomatous germinal cell testicular tumours.