[Spermatic cord liposarcoma. Association with prostate cancer. Report of a case and review of literature]

Spermatic cord liposarcoma: organ-sparing surgery

The authors report a case of a 53-year-old male patient who came to the urologic clinic with symptoms of a left-sided testicular mass with 4 years of evolution. A left inguinal approach was decided for scrotal exploration. High clamping of the spermatic cord was performed with complete excision of the lesion, which was sent for pathology, preserving the spermatic cord and the testicle. The peroperative result was a well-differentiated liposarcoma of the spermatic cord. We then chose to preserve the ipsilateral testis (organ-sparing surgery). Postoperatively, the final pathology confirmed a well-differentiated spermatic cord liposarcoma, revealing negative surgical margins and no signs of local invasion, namely of the underlying structures. The patient is currently doing well, with no signs of recurrence after one and a half year of follow-up.

Management of spermatic cord tumors: a rare urologic malignancy

Primary spermatic cord tumors are rare yet clinically significant urologic lesions that affect patients of all ages. They are the most common tumors of the paratesticular region and generally present as asymptomatic, slow growing, firm, palpable paratesticular masses. Although most of them are benign comprised primarily of lipomas, approximately 25% are potentially life-threatening malignant tumors. The most common reported malignant histological types include liposarcomas, leiomyosarcomas, rhabdomyosarcomas, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, and fibrosarcomas. Management of these malignant tumors has been difficult because of their rarity, therefore there is little consensus regarding optimal surgical and adjunctive treatment strategies. It is recommended that radiological techniques such as scrotal ultrasound (US), computed tomography, and magnetic resonance be used to evaluate these masses before surgery. The curative treatment of choice is radical orchiectomy with high cord ligation and wide excision of surrounding soft tissue structures within the inguinal canal. Patients with inadequately resected disease should undergo a reoperative procedure for wide inguinal re-resection. Retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy is recommended when there is preoperative evidence of retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis and as an adjuvant treatment for rhabdomyosarcomas since they have a higher propensity for lymphatic spread. Adjuvant treatments, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, have shown little efficacy, except in the management of patients with local recurrence or high-grade rhabdomyosarcomas. Long-term follow up is recommended given their high recurrence rates.