Spontaneous regression of metastatic testicular carcinoma in a patient with bilateral sequential testicular tumor

A case of spontaneous regression of metastatic testicular teratoma

We report the apparently spontaneous regression of metastatic disease in a young man who had previously undergone orchidectomy for a primary testicular teratoma. Serial serum tumour marker estimations revealed a sharp rise followed by a spontaneous decline in levels in a patient who had requested that chemotherapy be deferred for personal reasons.

Spontaneous regression of squamous cell lung carcinoma with adrenal metastasis

A 61-year-old man was found to have squamous cell carcinoma of the left hilum with metastasis to the left adrenal gland documented by needle aspiration. About two years later, the primary tumor is not detectable, and the adrenal gland is of normal size on follow-up computerized tomography. To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of spontaneous regression of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung with adrenal metastasis.

Suppression of the mitogen response of normal lymphocytes by serum from patients with testicular germ cell tumors

Serum from seven of 15 patients with nonseminomatous testicular germ cell tumors impaired the transformation of lymphocytes from normal donors by phytohemagglutinin to less than 50% of that with addition to the cultures of normal AB serum. Similarly, serum from eight patients impaired the transformation by Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I. The impairment of the lymphocyte transformation did not correlate with the serum concentrations of alpha-fetoprotein (S-AFP) and human chorionic gonadotropin (S-HCG). The patients with metastases and serum that impaired lymphocyte transformation to less than 50% of that with addition of serum from the controls and the other patients survived in the same way (0.50 less than p less than 0.75, log-rank test). The prognosis of patients with testicular germ cell tumors seems not be influenced by S-AFP and S-HCG through an impact on lymphocyte functions determined as the response to the two mitogens.