Twenty Years’ Experience in Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection for Testicular Cancer in a Tertiary Referral Center

<i>Background and Objectives</i>: The aim of this article is to present a single-surgeon, open retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) series for testicular cancer in a high-volume center. <i>Materials and Methods</i>: We reviewed data from patients who underwent RPLND...

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Main Authors: Angelo Mottaran, Amelio Ercolino, Lorenzo Bianchi, Pietro Piazza, Francesco Manes, Sasan Amirhassankhani, Marco Salvador, Francesco Chessa, Beniamino Corcioni, Alessandro Bertaccini, Riccardo Schiavina, Eugenio Brunocilla
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-01-01
Series:Medicina
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/59/1/133
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Summary:<i>Background and Objectives</i>: The aim of this article is to present a single-surgeon, open retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) series for testicular cancer in a high-volume center. <i>Materials and Methods</i>: We reviewed data from patients who underwent RPLND performed by an experienced surgeon at our institution between 2000 and 2019. We evaluated surgical and perioperative outcomes, complications, Recurrence-Free Survival (RFS), Overall Survival (OS), and Cancer-Specific Survival (CSS). <i>Results</i>: RPLND was performed in primary and secondary settings in 21 (32%) and 44 (68%) patients, respectively. Median operative time was 180 min. Median hospital stay was 6 days. Complications occurred in 23 (35%) patients, with 9 (14%) events reported as Clavien grade ≥ 3. Patients in the primary RPLND group were significantly younger, more likely to have NSGCT, had higher clinical N0 and M0, and had higher nerve-sparing RPLND (all <i>p</i> ≤ 0.04) compared to those in the secondary RPLND group. In the median follow-up of 120 (56–180) months, 10 (15%) patients experienced recurrence. Finally, 20-year OS, CSS, and RFS were 89%, 92%, and 85%, respectively, with no significant difference in survival rates between primary vs. secondary RPLND subgroups (<i>p</i> = 0.64, <i>p</i> = 0.7, and <i>p</i> = 0.31, respectively). <i>Conclusions</i>: Open RPLND performed by an experienced high-volume surgeon achieves excellent oncological and functional outcomes supporting the centralization of these complex procedures.
ISSN:1010-660X
1648-9144