Would the presence of only mature teratoma on orchiectomy specimen lead you to consider upfront RPLND followed by adjuvant chemotherapy as opposed to upfront chemotherapy in a patient with bulky para-aortic nodal disease (cN3) and AFP/beta-HCG elevation?
What is your preferred sequence of therapy?
Answer from: Medical Oncologist at Academic Institution
If there is an elevated AFP or hCG, then by definition, he has metastatic germ cell cancer and needs chemo initially, followed almost certainly by post-chemo RPLND done by a skilled and experienced urologist.
Answer from: Medical Oncologist at Community Practice
The patient almost certainly has a malignant nonseminomatous component with the elevated markers (assuming they are unequivocally elevated). With elevated markers, I would start with chemotherapy with the aim of completing it prior to a post-chemo RPLND. Very rarely, and often in the setting of mali...