RADIOTHERAPY FOR STAGE-I AND STAGE-II TESTICULAR SEMINOMA - RESULTS AND MORBIDITY IN 238 PATIENTS

We have undertaken a retrospective analysis of 238 patients with Stage s I and II seminoma of the testis treated with radiotherapy in Edinbur gh between 1974 and 1989. There were five deaths from seminoma. Cause- specific survival for the whole group at 2 and 5 years was 99.2% and 9 8.1%, respectively. Cause-specific survival at 2 and 5 years by stage (Royal Marsden staging classification) was: Stage I, 99.5% and 98.7% a nd Stage II, 98.1% and 96.1%. Fourteen (5.9%) patients relapsed (one a fter treatment for his second testicular seminoma). Eight were given s uccessful salvage treatment, five died of seminoma and one died of int ercurrent disease. 13 (5.5%) patients developed World Health Organisat ion (WHO) grade 3 gastrointestinal or haematological toxicity and two developed grade 4 gastrointestinal toxicity as a result of abdominal r adiotherapy. 22 patients (9.2%) developed problems ascribed to late mo rbidity of abdominal radiotherapy including 18 with peptic ulcer disea se. Contralateral testicular tumours occurred in seven (2.9%) patients and five (2.1%) patients developed malignancies at other sites.