Spermatocytic seminoma: a review.

OBJECTIVE: Spermatocytic seminoma is a rare testicular tumour that has an extremely low rate of metastasis. We present a review of the management of this malignancy at our institution.

METHOD AND MATERIALS: Between 1981 and 1999, 771 patients were treated at our institution for testicular seminoma. Of these, 13 had spermatocytic seminoma; one was excluded as he had treatment elsewhere. All patients were initially diagnosed at other hospitals and subsequently referred for management and had their pathology reviewed locally prior to any treatment.

RESULTS: All patients had stage I disease, 5 patients received radiotherapy to the para-aortic and pelvic nodes, the other 7 were followed on a surveillance program. The median age was 62 years. With a median follow-up of 8.5 years no relapses were observed. Some patients exhibited adverse histological features associated with increased risk of relapse in seminoma including rete testis invasion and large primary tumour size.

CONCLUSIONS: Spermatocytic seminoma may occur in younger patients and may not be restricted to the older population as commonly reported. Surveillance following orchidectomy is the preferred management option.