[Adjuvant chemotherapy of non-seminoma stage I germ cell tumors of the testis].

OBJECTIVE: To review the treatment of stage I nonseminomatous germ cell testicular tumor with adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: The literature on this subject was reviewed. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Overall, 30% of stage I nonseminomatous germ cell testicular tumors that are followed recur within two subsequent years. Several factors associated with a higher risk have been described. The most important are the presence of venous or lymphatic infiltration, the presence of a carcinoembryonic component and the absence of tumor of the endodermal sinus. Patients with the foregoing characteristics have a recurrence rate of approximately 50%. Over the last few years, some experience using two cycles of BEP adjuvant chemotherapy in patients at a higher risk have shown that this recurrence rate can be reduced to less than 5% with minimal late toxicity.