The clinical implications of procedural deviations during orchiectomy for nonseminomatous testis cancer.

PURPOSE

The clinical implications of procedural deviations during orchiectomy for nonseminomatous testis cancer were evaluated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective review was done of 78 of 1,708 patients (4.6%) with nonseminomatous testis cancer who presented to our university following scrotal violation.

RESULTS

A total of 56 patients (71.8%) underwent hemi-scrotectomy as part of treatment. A tumor was found in 6 of 56 hemi-scrotectomy specimens (10.7%) and 3 showed local recurrence. Of the 78 patients 5 (6.4%) had local recurrence, while 1 of 30 (3.3%) with scrotal specimens negative for tumor had recurrence in the groin. No patient treated by chemotherapy had local recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Scrotal violation was associated with an increased risk for local recurrence mainly when a residual tumor in the scrotectomy specimen was found. The role of hemi-scrotectomy to avoid of local or systemic relapse is debatable.