[Stage I testis teratoma in adults: treatment options and recurrence factors]

To study the clinical outcomes of stage I testis teratoma, including pure teratoma, and to provide information on the treatment options for this disease.

We retrospectively analyzed 27 cases of orchiectomy for stage I testis teratoma, excluding epidermoid cyst, and investigated its recurrence associated with treatment methods and clinicopathological factors.

Four of the 27 cases relapsed, all in the orchiectomy group and confined to the retroperitoneal region, 3 with and the other 1 without risk factors, but with no death. No recurrence was found in those treated by orchiectomy followed by chemotherapy with bleomycin, etoposide and platinum (BEP). The total rate of recurrence was 15.8%. No severe side effects were observed in the 9 patients undergoing adjuvant BEP chemotherapy.

Risk factors may increase the recurrence rate of stage I testis teratoma, while postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy can reduce it, including that of pure teratoma, though surveillance policy remains the most popular option after orchiectomy.