[Retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis of an infraclinical testicular seminoma (author's transl)]

The authors report a case of retroperitoneal lymphatic dissemination of a seminoma without any demonstrable primary testicular tumour. Irradiation of the patient led to complete cure, apparently stable with two years' follow up. The authors explored both sides of the scrotum clinically and surgically without finding any testicular tumour. A brief review of the literature reveals three possibilities: --lymphatic metastasis of an infraclinical testicular seminoma, --extra-nodal retroperitoneal metastasis of a testicular tumour, --retroperitoneal seminomatous tumour developing in embryonic rests of germinal tissue which might possibly be complicated by a retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis. The case of the authors falls within the precise context of lymph node metastases of an undemonstrated testicular tumour.