[Antineoplastic chemotherapy in the therapeutic plan of germinal testicular neoplasms]

The therapy for germinal testicular tumours consists in a combination of operative measures, irradiation and antineoplastic chemotherapy. There are 2 indications for lymphadenectomy: staging operation and removal of metastases. Irradiation is indicated for seminomas at all stages, but even in the case of non-seminomas it reduces the rate of recidivation and increases the rate of survival. Disseminated non-seminomas are the domain of antineoplastic chemotherapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy is increasingly being used in the second stage. We treated 274 patients with germinal testicular tumours (44% seminomas, 56% non-seminomas in ther period 1964 - 1981. We carried out curative chemotherapy in 36 patients in stage III. A complete remission was observed 23 times. For patients with non-seminomas the results of treatment in 2 different therapy groups can be compared: Group 1: orchiectomy and irradiation, Group 2: Orchiectomy, lymphadenectomy, chemotherapy and irradiation. The survival rates (states I and II) are 52% after 2 years and 44% after 5 years in the first group. In the second therapy group these rates are 80% and 75% respectively.