LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP OF PULMONARY-FUNCTION IN PATIENTS CURED FROM TESTICULAR CANCER WITH COMBINATION CHEMOTHERAPY INCLUDING BLEOMYCIN

A follow-up study of pulmonary function in two groups of patients with testicular cancer was performed 6-12 years after treatment. Both grou ps, 47 patients in each, had undergone retroperitoneal lymph node diss ection (RPLND). Patients with pathological stage (ps) II had also rece ived bleomycin (median 270 mg) and cisplatin (median 540 mg) in three or four courses which included vinblastine or etoposide. Patients in p s I and II were similar with respect to age, general health, observati on period, inspired oxygen fraction (FiO2) and maximal arterial oxygen pressure (pO2) at RPLND, but four (8.2%) with psII disease developed densities on chest X-ray during chemotherapy. At the long-term follow- up the groups were similar with respect to physical exercise, smoking pattern, present drug treatment and history of cardiopulmonary disease . In both groups forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and single breath transfer factor for carbon mo noxide (TLCO) were within normal limits, and no difference was found b etween the groups. The combined data for both groups showed that smoki ng was highly associated with impairment in TLCO (P = 0.005), and smok ing frequency was negatively correlated to TLCO (P = 0.002). We conclu de that 3-4 courses with bleomycin, cisplatin and etoposide/vinblastin e in testicular cancer patients do not lead to long-term impairment of pulmonary function.