Testicular metastases from solid tumors: an autopsy study

In a retrospective study of 738 consecutive autopsies of adult males with solid malignant neoplasms, five (0.68%) were shown to have metastatic deposits within the testis. These were metastases from bronchial carcinoma (three cases), melanoma (one case), and pancreatic endocrine carcinoma (one case). The mean age of the patients with solid tumors metastatic to the testis was 60 years (range, 32 to 83 years). The metastases from the solid tumors presented two patterns: destructive and/or focal interstitial. The destructive pattern was characterized by sheets of malignant cells that destroyed and replaced the seminiferous tubules. The interstitial pattern was characterized by tumor cells within the interstitium without involvement of the seminiferous tubules. All metastases showing the destructive pattern were macroscopically evident. Approximately 40% of the metastatic deposits were microscopic and showed a focal interstitial pattern. These cases are not easily identified unless a sufficient number of tissue blocks are sampled and carefully scrutinized. In 20% of the cases the metastatic deposits were bilateral. Improved diagnostic skills and treatment protocols in the last 11 years apparently have not significantly affected incidence, distribution, or the pattern of metastatic spread of solid tumors to the testis.