Peritoneal carcinomatosis in germ-cell tumor: relations with retroperitoneal lymph node dissection

• Published in: American journal of clinical oncology Vol. 23; no. 5; p. 460
• Main Authors: Andre, F, Fizazi, K, Culine, S, Droz, J P, Gatineau, M, Takahashi, Y, Oudard, S, Theodore, C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.10.2000
• Subjects: Adult; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Carcinoma, Embryonal - drug therapy; Carcinoma, Embryonal - secondary; Carcinoma, Embryonal - surgery; Fatal Outcome; Humans; Liver Neoplasms - secondary; Lung Neoplasms - secondary; Lymph Node Excision; Male; Neoplasm Staging; Peritoneal Neoplasms - drug therapy; Peritoneal Neoplasms - secondary; Retroperitoneal Space; Seminoma - drug therapy; Seminoma - secondary; Seminoma - surgery; Testicular Neoplasms - pathology; Testicular Neoplasms - surgery
• ISSN: 0277-3732
• DOI: 10.1097/00000421-200010000-00006

Peritoneal carcinomatosis from germ-cell tumor has rarely been described, and thus remains largely unknown. We report here five cases involving this entity. All five patients had embryonal carcinoma in their primary germ-cell tumor. Four of them had undergone retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND), and viable malignant cells were found. RPLND was performed for relapses (n = 3) and as primary therapy for stage II disease (n = 1). The peritoneum was the only site of relapse in three patients, and was associated with pleural effusion in one. The time to relapse after RPLND ranged from 6 to 14 months. One patient sustained injury to lymph nodes during RPLND, and another patient had a peritoneal xanthelasma. The only three patients already described in the literature underwent RPLND or surgical biopsy. All these observations suggest a striking relation between RPLND and occurrence of subsequent peritoneal carcinomatosis.