scholarly journals On the Origin of Testicular Germ Cell Tumors: From Gonocytes to Testicular Cancer

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiziano Baroni ◽  
Iva Arato ◽  
Francesca Mancuso ◽  
Riccardo Calafiore ◽  
Giovanni Luca
1989 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 505-509
Author(s):  
Sergio Crispino ◽  
Gabriele Tancini ◽  
Sandro Barni ◽  
Paolo Lissoni

To investigate the function of the hypothalamic-hypophyseal-gonadal axis in testicular germ cell tumors, we evaluated gonadotropin responses to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in 12 untreated patients with testicular cancer (5 seminomas and 7 non-seminomas). GnRH was given i.v. at a dose of 100 μg as a bolus, and venous blood samples were collected at 0, 20, 60, and 120 min. As controls, 14 healthy males were studied. Basal levels of testosterone, estradiol and prolactin were also detected in each patient. Hormonal serum concentrations were measured by the radioimmunoassay. Mean basal testosterone, estradiol and prolactin levels were not significantly different from those of controls. Patients had a lower FSH and LH peak after GnRH than controls, without, however, any significant difference. As regards histology, nonseminoma patients lacked an FSH response to GnRH and had statistically lower mean peak levels than controls. Moreover, non-seminoma patients had statistically lower mean peak values of LH after GnRH than controls. These data show that patients with testicular germ cell tumor, and more particularly those with non-seminomas, have an altered function of the hypothalamic-hypophyseal-gonadal axis, which is already present prior to therapy. Further studies, particularly in stage I patients treated only with orchiectomy, should be performed to confirm and better define the Physiopathologic significance of the altered hypothalamic-hypophyseal-gonadal axis in testicular cancer and to clarify the alteration of fertility, which is frequently present before treatment.


Author(s):  
Katherine A. McGlynn ◽  
Ewa Rajpert-De Meyts ◽  
Andreas Stang

Testicular cancer is a rare cancer in the general population, but is the most common neoplasm among young men in many countries. It has one of the highest heritabilities of all cancer types. The vast majority of testicular cancers are germ cell tumors; thus the terms “testicular cancer” and “testicular germ cell tumors” (TGCTs) are often used interchangeably. Globally, the incidence of testicular cancer is highest among men of European ancestry and lowest among men of African and Asian ancestries. Incidence rates have been increasing in many countries since at least the mid-twentieth century. Mortality rates, however, have sharply declined in developed countries. While the reason for the decline in mortality rates is well known, reasons for the increase in incidence remain poorly understood. Accumulating evidence supports the hypothesis that most TGCTs are linked to disturbed development of the testes, beginning in utero, but fostered by postnatal events.


1995 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2705-2711 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Bernardi ◽  
R Salvioni ◽  
E Vaccher ◽  
L Repetto ◽  
N Piersantelli ◽  
...  

PURPOSE Besides tumors that are diagnostic of AIDS, such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, and invasive carcinoma of the cervix, other tumors have been described in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) setting. Some case reports on testicular cancer in HIV-infected patients have appeared in the literature. We present a retrospective study on 26 cases of testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) observed within the Italian Cooperative Group on AIDS and Tumors (GICAT) between November 1986 and September 1994. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty-six patients with TGCT and HIV-infection from the GICAT were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS Fourteen patients had seminoma and 12 had nonseminoma. Four patients underwent only orchidectomy, one patient received only chemotherapy, nine patients were treated with postsurgical chemotherapy, 10 patients (38%) received postsurgical radiotherapy, one patient received postsurgical chemotherapy plus radiotherapy, and one patient was lost for follow-up evaluation immediately after diagnosis. The complete response (CR) rate was 95%. Relapse occurred in 32% of patients. The median follow-up time was 33 months. The mortality rate was 37%. Causes of death were neoplasia in three of nine patients, AIDS in five of nine patients, and fortuitous event in one of nine patients. The overall 3-year survival rate was 65%, and the 3-year disease-free survival rate was 65%. Severe hematologic toxicity was observed in seven of 15 patients. CONCLUSION HIV-infected patients with testicular cancer should be offered standard oncologic therapy, irrespective of their HIV status, since the majority can be cured of their tumor and have a good quality of life. Use of concomitant prophylaxis for opportunistic infections is recommended.


2001 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 536-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Finn Edler von Eyben ◽  
Ebbe Lindegaard Madsen ◽  
Ole Blaabjerg ◽  
Per Hyltoft Petersen ◽  
Hans von der Maase ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 967-978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarina Kalavska ◽  
Vincenza Conteduca ◽  
Ugo De Giorgi ◽  
Michal Mego

Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) represent the most common malignancy in men aged 15-35. Due to these tumors’ biological and clinical characteristics, they can serve as an appropriate system for studying molecular mechanisms associated with cisplatin-based treatment resistance. This review describes treatment resistance from clinical and molecular viewpoints. Cisplatin resistance is determined by various biological mechanisms, including the modulation of the DNA repair capacity of cancer cells, alterations to apoptotic cell death pathways, deregulation of gene expression pathways, epigenetic alterations and insufficient DNA binding. Moreover, this review describes TGCTs as a model system that enables the study of the cellular features of cancer stem cells in metastatic process and describes experimental models that can be used to study treatment resistance in TGCTs. All of the abovementioned aspects may help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying cisplatin resistance and may help to identify promising new therapeutic targets.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Pia Paffenholz ◽  
Tim Nestler ◽  
Yasmine Maatoug ◽  
Melanie von Brandenstein ◽  
Barbara Köditz ◽  
...  

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The impact of teratomatous elements in orchiectomy specimens of metastasized testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) regarding oncological outcome is still unclear. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We performed a retrospective analysis including 146 patients with metastasized TGCT analysing patient characteristics. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Twenty-six (18%) of all patients showed teratomatous elements in the orchiectomy specimens. TGCT with teratomatous elements showed a significantly higher frequency of clinical-stage 2C-3 disease (73 vs. 49%, <i>p</i> = 0.031), visceral metastases (58 vs. 32%, <i>p</i> = 0.015), and poor prognosis (<i>p</i> = 0.011) than TGCT without teratomatous elements. Teratoma-containing TGCT revealed a significantly higher rate of post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (PC-RPLND, 54 vs. 32%, <i>p</i> = 0.041), with teratomatous elements being more often present in the PC-RPLND specimens (43 vs. 11%, <i>p</i> = 0.020) than nonteratoma-containing primaries. In the Kaplan-Meier estimates, the presence of teratomatous elements in orchiectomy specimens was associated with a significantly reduced relapse-free survival (RFS) (<i>p</i> = 0.049) during a median follow-up of 36 months (10–115.5). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The presence of teratomatous elements in orchiectomy specimens is associated with an advanced tumor stage, worse treatment response as well as a reduced RFS in metastasized TGCT. Consequently, the presence of teratomatous elements might act as a reliable stratification tool for treatment decision in TGCT patients.


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