Testicular germ cell tumours in Iceland

• Published in: APMIS
• Main Authors: AGNARSSON, BJARNI A., GUDBJARTSSON, TOMAS, EINARSSON, GUDMUNDUR VIKAR, MAGNUSSON, KJARTAN, THORODDSEN, ASGEIR, BERGTHORSSON, JON THOR, AMUNDADOTTIR, LAUFEY, BARKARDOTTIR, ROSA B., BJÖRNSSON, JOHANNES
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2006
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0463.2006.apm_468.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1600-0463.2006.apm_468.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1600-0463.2006.apm_468.x

The purpose of this study was to examine the pathology of all germ cell tumours of the testis diagnosed in Iceland 1955–2002. A total of 214 patients were included in the study. The current age‐standardized incidence was found to be 6.1 per 100,000 and had increased almost fourfold during the study period. Seminoma was diagnosed in 55% of cases. Non‐seminomas were diagnosed in 45%, and these were further classified as mixed germ cell tumours (33%), embryonal carcinoma (8%), teratoma (3%), and yolk sac tumour (n=1). The mean age at diagnosis was significantly higher for the seminomas than the non‐seminomas (38 years versus 29 years) (p<0.001) and the non‐seminomas were diagnosed at a significantly higher stage than the seminomas (p<0.001). Thus, in seminoma patients the tumour was localized to the testis (stage I) in 81% of cases, in 17% of patients the tumour had spread to the lymph nodes (stage II or III), and only 2% had extranodal metastasis at diagnosis (stage IV). In contrast, in the non‐seminoma patients, the tumours were found to be stage I in 56%, stage II or III in 24%, and stage IV in 20% of cases. No significant difference in staging was found between non‐seminoma subtypes. Identification of necrosis or vascular invasion was significantly associated with metastatic disease at diagnosis (p=0.002). During the study period a significant increase in stage I tumours was found as well as a decrease in the size of the tumours.