Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for growing teratoma syndrome in testicular cancer: a systematic review of surgical outcomes

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Growing Teratoma Syndrome (GTS) occurs in up to 7.6% of non-seminomatous germ cell tumors, characterized by teratoma growth despite normalized tumor markers.
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GTS is unresponsive to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, necessitating surgical intervention via retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) for management.
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The systematic review included 15 studies with 156 patients, revealing a median age of presentation between 16 and 38 years.
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Postoperative complication rates after RPLND ranged from 12.5% to 44%, with significant complications occurring in 12.5% to 25% of patients.
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At last follow-up, disease-free survival rates varied from 41.7% to 100%, indicating a wide range of oncological outcomes following RPLND.

World Journal Of Urology

by Alberto Costa Silva, Afonso Morgado, João Alturas Silva, Pedro Oliveira, Noel Clarke, Rui Almeida Pinto, Aziz Gulamhusein
January 13, 2026

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