Open AccessChallenging presentations of germ cell tumours in routine clinical practice
Author(s) -
Navya Bezawada,
Great Western Road Clyde,
Arthur Norton,
Karen Mactier,
Graham Macdonald,
Ashita Waterston,
Walter Mmeka,
J. Malik,
Alistair Law,
Colin Barrie,
Allan Drummond,
C.K. Muir,
Jeff White
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of the royal college of physicians of edinburgh/the journal of the royal college of physicians of edinburgh
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.275
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 2042-8189
pISSN - 1478-2715
DOI - 10.4997/jrcpe.2021.113
Subject(s) - medicine , malignancy , testicular cancer , germ cell tumors , multidisciplinary team , disease , stage (stratigraphy) , intensive care medicine , cancer , multidisciplinary approach , clinical practice , pediatrics , general surgery , gynecology , pathology , family medicine , chemotherapy , paleontology , social science , nursing , sociology , biology
Testicular cancer is the most common malignancy in young men. We discuss four cases of germ cell tumours (GCTs) presenting to general practitioners and physicians where there were notable preventable delays in the diagnosis and management. This diagnostic delay is associated with a more advanced stage of disease, and subsequent increased treatment-related morbidity and decreased survival. Our series highlights the variety of ways in which GCTs may present and we discuss the importance of prompt diagnosis through a thorough history and examination, early measurement of serum tumour markers and appropriate multidisciplinary team discussion. GCTs are highly curable cancers in the majority of patients and delays in management can, therefore, have devastating consequences.