Impact of age on clinicopathological outcomes and recurrence-free survival after the surgical management of nonseminomatous germ cell tumour.
Academic Article
Overview
abstract
UNLABELLED: Study Type - Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4. What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? The effect of advancing age on the clinicopathological outcomes of men with germ cell testicular cancers remains uncertain. Through the review and comparison of the present large cohort of men with testis cancer, we report on our experience in men aged ≥50 years. Our results showed similar clinical and pathological characteristics, and survival outcomes that compare favourably with those of men aged <50 years. OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of age on clinicopathological findings and disease recurrence in men with nonseminomatous germ cell tumour (NSGCT) undergoing retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We identified 1246 patients with NSGCT who underwent either primary or post-chemotherapy-RPLND (PC-RPLND) between 1989 and 2006 from our prospective testis cancer database. • Perioperative characteristics were compared among men aged < or ≥50 years. • Multivariable models were used to evaluate the association of age with disease-free survival, controlling for established clinical and pathological features. RESULTS: Of 514 men undergoing primary and 732 men undergoing PC-RPLND, 12 (2.3%) and 23 (3.1%) were aged ≥50 years, respectively. • There were no significant differences between men aged < or ≥50 years for perioperative clinicopathological characteristics, with the exception of pre-RPLND CT nodal size. • The pathological distributions at primary RPLND were similar in men aged < or ≥50 years. After PC-RPLND, there were no differences in RPLND histology, number of lymph nodes resected, estimated blood loss, hospital stay, or perioperative complication rate. • Age at surgery was not a significant predictor of disease recurrence when subjected to a multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggests that age at RPLND does not predict for disease recurrence and men aged ≥50 years had similar pre- and postoperative characteristics to those aged <50 years. • We conclude that RPLND can be safely performed in men aged ≥50 years and these patients should be offered optimal treatment regimens for NSGCT as directed according to established guidelines.
