[Bilateral and synchronous testicular teratoma: a case report and literature review]. / Teratoma testicular bilateral sincrónico: reporte de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

BACKGROUND: Testicular germ-cell carcinoma is the most frequent neoplasm in males aged 15 to 35 years old. It is bilateral in 2% to 3%, and synchronous in 20% to 25% of the cases. CLINICAL CASE: The case is presented of a 19 year-old male, with abdominal pain. Physical examination revealed abdominal mass in the umbilical region, and the computed tomography scan showed a retroperitoneal tumour, with α-fetoprotein, lactate dehydrogenase, and human chorionic gonadotropin above limits. Testicular ultrasound showed bilateral lesions. Exploratory laparotomy was performed, identifying an unresectable retroperitoneal tumour. Biopsies were taken, reporting mixed germ cell tumour composed of choriocarcinoma and embryonal carcinoma. Six cycles of chemotherapy were given, based on bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin, with partial tumour response. Later on, the patient underwent bilateral radical orchiectomy, with pathology reporting a synchronous bilateral testicular teratoma. A second line of chemotherapy was given, based on vincristine, etoposide, ifosfamide and cisplatinum. Nevertheless, the disease progressed, with metastatic dissemination and the patient died. DISCUSSION: Germ cells tumours can present in primary extra-gonadal locations. It is difficult to distinguish a retroperitoneum primary germ cell tumour from metastatic disease of a clinically undetected gonadal tumour or one that has regressed, like the situation described in the case presented. CONCLUSIONS: Ninety percent of patients diagnosed with germ cell tumours can be cured. However, delay in diagnosis correlates with an advanced clinical stage and poor prognosis.

[Initial experience in laparoscopic retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy for the management of nonseminomatous testicular cancer]. / Experiencia inicial en linfadenectomía retroperitoneallaparoscópica para el manejo del cáncerde testículo no seminoma.

BACKGROUND: Germ cell tumors of the testis represent 1% of all cancers in males. The mean age of occurrence is between 15 and 35 years. Early diagnosis and accuracy of staging are factors that have an impact in survival. According with stage I SO in nonseminoma tumors, there are three management options. Choice among them is based on the risk of recurrence, their morbidity and informed consent of the patient. The objective of this paper is to present the first results of retroperitoneal laparoscopic lymphadenectomy (RLL) in testicular germ cell nonseminoma tumors stage I S-0 at the Oncology Unit of Hospital Juarez de México. METHODS: Retrospective study of the data base of patients diagnosed with nonseminomatous testicular cancer Stage I, S-0 and subject to retroperitoneal laparoscopic lymphadenectomy in the period between May 2010 to December 2011. RESULTS: Ten patients underwent transperitoneal retroperitoneal laparoscopic lymphadenectomy with modified limits, ipsilateral to the affected testicle, 70% were stage I-A, showing a nodal count of 15.3 nodes. None suffered from metastases. The followup mean for all patients was 9.6 months. One patient suffered retroperitoneal relapse off lymphadenectomy's reach 10 months after the original surgery. CONCLUSION: Retroperitoneal laparoscopic lymphadenectomy is a safe procedure with reasonable morbidity, hospital stay and nodal count. It requires a surgeon expert in laparoscopic techniques.

Germ cell tumours of the ovary.

Germinal cell tumours represent only 2-5% of all cancers of the ovary. However, the characteristics of the tumour and the patients have some special qualities as high rates of healing goes together with a strong desire to keep fertility intact because this condition occurs in female children and adolescent girls. Neither the prognosis nor the treatment of these tumours is homogeneous; the low incidence is the reason it is hard to develop prospective studies for establishing prognostic factors and specific treatments. The introduction of adjuvant chemotherapy into initial surgery has improved the prognosis of these patients. The BEP scheme has proved to be equally efficient and less toxic than PVB, and for this reason it has become the standard scheme despite the fact that no randomised studies have been carried out. The surgical treatment demands the application of the same principles seen in cytoreduction surgery of epithelial cancers of the ovary (maximum possible cytoreduction), though in many cases hysterectomy and double adnexectomy may be obviated. In view of the rarity of these tumours, it is advisable to work within cooperative groups that may have subgroups for the treatment of rare tumours. This will probably be the only way to move forward in the prospective knowledge of prognostic factors for these tumours.

Tumores germinales extragonadales de mediastino / Germ cell tumors of the mediastinum

Antecedentes: los tumores germinales del mediastino son lesiones de infrecuente presentación. Existe cierta tendencia a explorar los tumores mediastinales operables sin tener en cuenta que determinadas entidades patológicas, entre ellas algunos tumores germinales, tienen indicación inicial de otro tratamiento diferente. Objetivo: relatar la experiencia de los autores en una sola institución asistencial. Comunicar un algoritmo para el estudio y el tratamiento de los tumores germinales primarios de mediastino. Lugar de aplicación: Centro oncológico universitario de asistencia, docencia e investigación. Diseño: retrospectivo. Población: 9 casos. 1 mujer portadora de teratoma maduro, 8 hombres con tumores germinales malignos. Edades entre 18 y 39 años. Se diagnosticaron 3 seminomas, 2 carcinomas embrionarios, 1 tumor se seno endodérmico, 1 teratoma+carcinoma embrionario, un tumor maligno mixto (seminoma+carcinoma embrionario+teratoma inmaduro) y 1 teratoma maduro con esbozos de órganos. La forma de presentación fue dolor esternal en 4 (uno de ellos con taponamiento cardíaco por derrame pericárdico), disnea en 2, disfagia en 1 y adenopatías cervicales asintomáticas en 2. La manifestación radiológica fue tumor circunscripto en el mediastino. El teratoma maduro presentaba calcificaciones. Se operaron 5 enfermos (4 toracotomías y una videotoracoscopía). En 4 se pudo realizar exéresis completa; 1 fue irresecable por invasión de estructuras nobles contiguas. Resultados: la paciente operada por teratoma maduro, se encuentra curada. De los 8 malignos restantes 2 fueron operados inicialmente, sólo 1 fue resecado. Ambos recibieron Qt a pesar de lo cual tuvieron progresión o recaída. 6 tuvieron diagnóstico histológico antes de programar el tratamiento y recibieron quimioterapia (Qt). De éstos últimos, 2 fueron intervenidos con criterio de rescate (CxR) por persistencia de imagen tumoral luego de Qt. La paciente operada por teratoma maduro, se encuentra curada. De los 8 malignos restantes, los 2 operados inicialmente recibieron Qt: 1 de ellos se curó y el otro tuvo progresión lesional. Por efecto de la Qt exclusiva (4 enfermos), 2 se curaron y llevan más de 10 años, 2 progresaron y fallecieron. Los 2 restantes fueron sometidos a cirugía de rescate post Qt, de los cuales uno lleva 5 meses libres de enfermedad y otro falleció diseminado...(AU)

[Probable pulmonary damage caused by bleomycin. Communication of 4 cases]. / Probable daño pulmonar por bleomicina. Comunication de 4 casos.

Four patients with advanced germinal cell testicular tumors were treated with cisplatinum, vinblastine and bleomycin. Histopathologic studies revealed pulmonary damage and various degrees of respiratory insufficiency developed in all patients, one of whom died. There was no instance of opportunistic infections in any patient. The pathophysiology relating pulmonary damage to the action of bleomycin is discussed.