GERM-CELL TUMORS IN UNCORRECTED CRYPTORCHID TESTIS AT INSTITUTE-ROTARY-CANCER-HOSPITAL, NEW-DELHI

Twenty-four out of 164 (14%) adult patients with primary germ cell tum ours of testis seen over the last 6 years at the Institute Rotary Canc er Hospital (IRCH) of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AII MS), New Delhi, were found to have cryptorchidism. Only one patient ha d undergone correction. As a result the testes were intra-abdominal in the vast majority, and patients presented late. Twenty-two patients p resented with stage IIb or more advanced disease. Twelve patients had seminoma and the others had mixed or non-seminomatous germ cell tumour (NSGCT), i.e. 50% each. The earlier patients were managed by initial resection followed by radiation and/or chemotherapy. As experience gre w the seven patients who presented late were given initial chemotherap y followed by resection in those with residual rumours. The probabilit y of overall survival was 0.65 at 36 months and, was not significantly different from survival in 114 patients with tumours of normally desc ended testis. Early orchipexy facilitates the detection, but whether i t reduces the incidence of tumours is controversial. Uncorrected crypt orchidism is now rarely seen in the West, but in India and many other developing countries tumours of uncorrected cryptorchid testes continu e to be seen.