Management of nonseminomatous testicular cancer--a total community experience

Reports have been made in important advances in the therapy of nonseminomatous germ cell tumors from specialized cancer therapy centers that treat a selected referred patient population. We herein examine the impact of these improvements on the total community of a large geographic area. Using the facilities of a comprehensive cancer registry and standardizing the treatment of nonseminomatous germ cell tumors from 1976 to the present, we have shown that there has been a marked improvement in the over-all survival of patients with these tumors in northern Alberta. During the 4-year interval the survival rates were 100 per cent for patients with stage I, 93 per cent for those with stage II and 83 per cent for those with stage III tumor. The over-all survival rate for patients with nonseminomatous germ cell tumors in this community presently is comparable to that of patients with pure seminomas. We have shown that aggressive, multidisciplinary treatment, developed in specialized centers, can significantly improve the outlook for all patients with nonseminomatous germ call tumors in a defined community.