Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Epidemiology and treatment delay in testicular cancer patients: a retrospective study

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Urology and Nephrology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Introduction

Testicular cancer (TC) is a quite rare malignancy, although its medical importance is growing due to a rapid growth in incidence. The recent age-adjusted incidence in the Slovak Republic attained 6.9/100,000; mortality was 0.4/100,000. Incidence has increased by 80% in the period 1968–2003. Diagnostic and treatment delay may have an impact on overall survival.

Materials and methods

A national descriptive study evaluating the data of patients with TC diagnosed in Slovakia in the period 1993–2002 was designed. Patients were analyzed using medical questionnaires, case histories, clinical symptoms, parameters such as data of treatment onset and treatment approaches, histology of the tumor, the stage of disease, response to treatment, and the follow-up period in all 1,832 cases of TC.

Results

The average incidence (1993–2002) was 6.2/100,000; mortality was 0.5/100,000. The median follow-up time of the patients with TC was 112.5 months, overall survival was 91% and 5-year survival was 96.2%. Mortality decrease and survival improvement, despite the incidence increase, are the result of not only an effective treatment, but also early diagnosis of each case. The overall treatment delay (mean time of 150 days) shows that young males are generally poorly informed about the possibility of TC occurrence.

Conclusion

The only methods to decrease the mortality of patients with TC, can be early detection and risk-adapted treatment in specialized centers according to the histology and clinical stage using standardized guidelines and long-term follow-up of patients with this malignancy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig 1
Fig 2
Fig 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Aareleid T, Sant M, Hédelin G, the EUROCARE Working Group (1998) Improved survival for patients with testicular cancer in Europe since 1978. Eur J Cancer 34:2236–2240

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Adami HO, Bergström R, Möhner M et al (1994) Testicular cancer in nine northern European countries. Int J Cancer 59:33–38

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Bosl GJ, Sheinfeld J, Bajorin DF et al (1997) Cancer of the testis. In: DeVita VT, Hellman S, Rosenberg SA (eds) Cancer: principles and practice of oncology, 5th edn. Lippincott-Raven Publ., Philadelphia, pp 1397–1425

    Google Scholar 

  4. Bray F, Richiardi L, Ekbom A et al (2006) Trends in testicular cancer incidence and mortality in 22 European countries: continuing increases in incidence and declines in mortality. Int J Cancer 118:3099–3111

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Buetow SA (1995) Epidemiology of testicular cancer. Epidemiol Rev 17:433–449

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Buetow SA (1996) Testicular cancer: to screen or not to screen. J Med Screen 3:3–6

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Boyle P (2004) Testicular cancer: the challenge for cancer control. Lancet Oncol 5:56–61

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Dieckmann K-P, Krain J, Gottschalk W et al (1994) Atypical symptoms in patients with germinal testicular tumors. Urologe A 33:325–330

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Ferlay J, Bray F, Pisani P et al (2001) Globocan 2000. Cancer incidence, mortality and prevalence worldwide. IARC Cancer Base No 5, Lyon, IARC

  10. Garner MJ, Turner MC, Ghadirian P et al (2005) Epidemiology of testicular cancer: an overview. Int J Cancer 116:331–339

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Gascoigne P, Whitear B (1999) Making sense of testicular cancer symptoms: a qualitative study of the way in which men sought help from the health-care services. Eur J Oncol Nurs 3:62–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Hornak M, Ondrus D, Bardos A Jr (1987) Testicular tumors, the causes of therapeutic delay (in Slovak). Prakt Lék (Praha) 67:555–556

    Google Scholar 

  13. Huyghe E, Matsuda T, Thonneau P (2003) Increasing incidence of testicular cancer worldwide: a review. J Urol 170:5–11

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Levi F, Lucchini F, Boyle P et al (1998) Cancer incidence and mortality in Europe, 1988–1992. J Epidemiol Biostat 3:295–373

    Google Scholar 

  15. Levi F, La Vecchia C, Boyle P et al (2001) Western and eastern European trends in testicular cancer mortality. Lancet 357:1853–1854

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Levi F, Te V-C, Randimbison L et al (2003) Trends in testicular cancer incidence in Vaud, Switzerland. Eur J Cancer Prev 12:347–349

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Liu S, Wen SW, Mao Y et al (1999) Birth cohort effects underlying the increasing testicular cancer incidence in Canada. Can J Public Health 90:176–180

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Moger TA, Aalen OO, Heimdal K et al (2004) Analysis of testicular cancer data a frailty model with familial dependence. Statist Med 23:617–632

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Morris J (1996) Should testicular self-examination be recommended? J Med Screen 3:2

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Nakata S, Ohtake N, Kubota Y et al (1998) Incidence of urogenital cancers in Gunma Prefecture, Japan: a 10 year summary. Int J Urol 5:364–369

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Ondrus D, Hornak M (1994) Orchiectomy alone for clinical stage I nonseminomatous germ cell tumors of the testis (NSGCTT): a minimum follow-up period of 5 years. Tumori 80:362–364

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Ondrus D et al (2004) Testicular tumors, diagnostics and treatment (in Slovak). Osveta, Martin

  23. Ondrusova M, Plesko I, Safaei-Diba Ch et al (2006) Cancer incidence in the Slovak Republic 2003. National Cancer Registry, NHIC, Bratislava

    Google Scholar 

  24. Parkin DM, Whellan SL, Ferlay J et al (eds) (1997) Cancer incidence in five continents, vol. 7. IARC Scientific Publ., IARC, Lyon

  25. Parkin DM, Whellan SL, Ferlay J et al (eds) (2002) Cancer incidence in five continents, vol. 8. IARC Scientific Publ., IARC, Lyon

  26. Peckham MJ, McElwain TJ, Barrett A et al (1979) Combined management of malignant teratoma of the testis. Lancet 2:267–270

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Plesko I, Obsitnikova A, Cuninkova M et al (2004) Increasing occurrence of urological cancers in Slovakia. Neoplasma 51:248–254

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Power DA, Brown RSD, Brock CS et al (2001) Trends in testicular carcinoma in England and Wales, 1971–1999. BJU Int 87:361–365

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Purdue MP, Devesa SS, Sigurdson AJ et al (2005) International patterns and trends in testis cancer incidence. Int J Cancer 11:822–827

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Weir HK, Marrett LD, Moravan V (1999) Trends in the incidence of testicular germ cell cancer in Ontario by histologic subgroup, 1964–1996. CMAJ 160:201–210

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Health Information Centre, National Cancer Registry of the Slovak Republic, Lazaretska 26, Bratislava, 811 09, Slovak Republic

    Martina Ondrusova

  2. Department of Cancer Epidemiology, Cancer Research Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic

    Martina Ondrusova

  3. Department of Oncology, Comenius University Medical School, St. Elisabeth Cancer Institute, Bratislava, Slovak Republic

    Dalibor Ondrus

Authors
  1. Martina Ondrusova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dalibor Ondrus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martina Ondrusova.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ondrusova, M., Ondrus, D. Epidemiology and treatment delay in testicular cancer patients: a retrospective study. Int Urol Nephrol 40, 143–148 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-007-9245-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-007-9245-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation