Case report: primary carcinoid tumor of the testicle without metastases in combination with testicular atrophy and testosterone deficiency

Neuroendocrine Testicular Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to study the main epidemiological, clinical, para clinical, pathological, therapeutic, and evolutionary features of patients with testicular neuroendocrine tumors (TNET).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Nine case series and sixteen case reports were identified by searching PubMed database and qualified for inclusion in this study. We added the data of one case treated in the department of urology in Habib Bourguiba Hospital in Sfax, to the published cases.

RESULTS

A total of 132 cases were collected. Median age at diagnosis was 39 years old (range 10- 83 years). The most common presenting symptom was either a testicular mass or a swelling in 38.46% of cases. Carcinoid syndrome was documented in 10.60% of patients. The clinical examination revealed a palpable mass in 44.70% of patients. This mass was painless and firm in most cases. Serum tumor markers (β-gonadotrophine chorionique humaine, α-feto protein, and lactate dehydrogenase) were within normal limits in all patients except in one case. Most testicular neuroendocrine tumors (76.52%) were primary and pure. The tumors were positive for chromogranin (100%), synaptophysin (100%) and cytokeratin (93.10%). Metastases were detected at time of diagnosis in eight cases (6.06%). The main treatment was radical orchiectomy performed in 127 patients (96.21%). The 5-year overall survival rate was 78.70% and the 5-year specific survival rate was 84.30%.

CONCLUSION

The diagnosis of testicular carcinoids is based on the immunohistochemistry study. The treatment of choice for these tumors is radical orchiectomy. Somatostatin analogues were reported to be effective in patients with carcinoid syndrome.

Primary Carcinoid Tumor of the Testis: Case Report

Carcinoid tumors conform less than 1% of all testicular tumors and most of them are neuroendocrine tumors which are primarily seen in testes. They are in the form of testicular metastasis from other organs. Carcinoid tumors may occur from differentiation of malignant teratomas. The main distinguishing feature of carcinoid tumors from other germ tumors is that they can be seen in all age groups. Histopathologically they have been described in two forms: well-differentiated and moderately differentiated. We aimed to discuss about a primary testicular carcinoid tumor in a 29 year old male patient.

Primary pure carcinoid tumors of the testis: Clinicopathological and immunophenotypical characteristics of 11 cases

Primary pure carcinoid tumors of the testis (pPCTT) are rare, and there are only a limited number of studies available. In the present study we described the clinicopathological and immunophenotypical characteristics of 11 cases from our institution between 1978 and 2014, and reported our experiences of the diagnosis and treatment of these patients. The patients ranged in age from 26 to 68 years old, with a median age of 48 years. One patient (9%) was classified as pT2 and 10 (91%) were pT1. Histologically, 7 cases were diagnosed as classical carcinoid tumors, while the other 4 cases were identified as atypical carcinoid tumors. The most common growth pattern was a mixed insular, acinar, rosetted, solid and trabecular pattern. Immunohistochemical staining revealed positive expression of neuron-specific enolase in all cases, and CgA, Syn and CD56 markers in 8 (72.7%), 10 (90.9%) and 9 cases (81.7%), respectively. In addition to radical orchiectomy, 9 patients (81.7%) received a combined modality of treatment. Follow-up data were available for 8 patients. Seven were alive at the last follow-up without recurrence, and one patient succumbed to cerebral hemorrhage 7 years after surgery. In summary, localized pPCTT is a rare disease with an indolent clinical course. When a testicular carcinoid tumor is identified, a metastasis or an intestinal primary tumor should be excluded, particularly when the testicular tumor is large. A tumor size ≤6.0 cm and the histological appearance had little relation with metastatic behavior.

[Carcinoid tumor of the testis]

A 69-year-old man presented with a 2.4 cm painless mass in his right testis. Inguinal orchiectomy was performed. Histologically a carcinoid tumor of the testis was diagnosed. These neuroendocrine, noninvasive tumors are very rare, representing 0.23% of all testicular neoplasms. In 10% these tumors are associated with carcinoid syndrome and in 20% with metastatic disease.