The clinical implications of procedural deviations during orchiectomy for nonseminomatous testis cancer.

PURPOSE: The clinical implications of procedural deviations during orchiectomy for nonseminomatous testis cancer were evaluated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was done of 78 of 1,708 patients (4.6%) with nonseminomatous testis cancer who presented to our university following scrotal violation.

RESULTS: A total of 56 patients (71.8%) underwent hemi-scrotectomy as part of treatment. A tumor was found in 6 of 56 hemi-scrotectomy specimens (10.7%) and 3 showed local recurrence. Of the 78 patients 5 (6.4%) had local recurrence, while 1 of 30 (3.3%) with scrotal specimens negative for tumor had recurrence in the groin. No patient treated by chemotherapy had local recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS: Scrotal violation was associated with an increased risk for local recurrence mainly when a residual tumor in the scrotectomy specimen was found. The role of hemi-scrotectomy to avoid of local or systemic relapse is debatable.