[Diagnosis, prevalence, prognosis and treatment of the trophoblastic component in germinal tumours of the testis in the adult].

The authors report a series of 97 germinal tumours of the testis in the adult, studied first in terms of conventional histological data. Of 33 seminomas, 2 secreted HCG. The 5-year actuarial survival at stage I was 93%, and at stage II 75%. Stage II deaths revealed the existence of not purely seminomatous tumours. Amongst dysembryomas, half secreted HCG, with 3 histological groups: predominant choriocarcinomas, tumours with a trophoblastic component and "apparently pure" dysembryomas. The 3-year actuarial survival for dysembryomas was 90% at stage I and 58% at stage II. 51 patients of the series were studied retrospectively by sections with HCG peroxidase, a technique which reveals the intracytoplasmic synthesis of the hormone. Two types of cells have proved capable of such synthesis: syncytial cells, of syncytial-trophoblastic type, and small mononuclear cells. One third of seminomas and 90% of dysembryomas proved to have a trophoblastic component as demonstrated by HCG immunoperoxidases. All patients secreting HCG were HCG peroxidase positive. This equally applied to all patients with syncytial cells. Furthermore, all the indications are that HCG secretion is above all by the syncytial cells. From a diagnostic standpoint, any rise in beta HCG is synonymous with an HCG immunoperoxidase trophoblastic component. Detection of such a component using immunoperoxidase would seem to be essential for non-secreting tumours. From a prognostic standpoint, seminomas with a trophoblastic component are in fact dysembryomas and lymph node dissection should be performed, this being the only way of not missing a non-seminomatous metastasis. Therapeutically, pure seminomas are distinguished by the possibility of cure by radiotherapy. For all other tumours, orchidectomy must be followed by lymph node dissection. Subsequent treatment is decided on the basis of the results of the latter, with the exception of tumours with visceral metastases where chemotherapy must come first.