Value of dynamic, contrast-enhanced MRI & intraoperative ultrasound for management of a nonpalpable, incidental, testicular Leydig-cell tumor

What Is the Malignant Potential of Small (<2 cm), Nonpalpable Testicular Incidentalomas in Adults? A Systematic Review

CONTEXT

Unlike palpable lumps, a large number of nonpalpable testicular lesions found incidentally at ultrasound in asymptomatic postpuberal males are either benign tumours or non-neoplastic lesions. The prevalence of malignancy, however, is appraised based on small case series. Dedicated studies report a large number of patients, and systematic review articles are lacking.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review is aimed to assess, from the analysis of the pooled data of the available literature, the incidence of benign tumours, malignant tumours, and non-neoplastic lesions, and to identify predictive characteristics for malignancy.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

A systematic review of PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Turning Research Into Practice (TRIP) database, and the Cochrane Library was conducted on January 6, 2022, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. Studies were retrieved reporting on adult asymptomatic men, with single, incidentally identified small testicular lesions, either fertile or infertile, with negative tumour markers and without specific risk factors for malignancy. Lesions ≤20 mm were considered small. Seventy-four studies were selected for inclusion in this analysis. Twenty-six additional publications have been retrieved by the bibliography quoted in the selected articles.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Pooled data of 1348 lesions in 1348 patients were collected. Of these lesions, 408 could be retrieved individually, 44.6% were benign, 27.2% were malignant, and 20.8% were non-neoplastic. Virtually all lesions <3 mm and 86.6% of lesions <5 mm were benign. Lesions >10 mm have a 38.14% probability of being benign. Hyperechoic lesions are likely benign. Fertility status does not affect the risk of malignancy.

CONCLUSIONS

Very small (<3 mm) and small (<5 mm) incidentally detected testicular lesions in asymptomatic postpuberal men with normal tumour markers could be frequently benign. More prospective studies are needed to better support this finding. Management strategies should be developed for these patients to reduce overtreatment.

PATIENT SUMMARY

Small testicular lesions are incidentally founded at ultrasound. It is not easy to distinguish a benign lesion from a malignant one. Results of this study are reporting a higher incidence of benign lesions with a diameter of <5 mm. More studies are needed to better understand the biology and the management strategy for small testicular lesions.

Incidental testicular masses and the role of organ-sparing approach

OBJECTIVES

The widespread use of ultrasonography for the investigation of common urological conditions, such as infertility or pain, has resulted in an increased incidence of incidental non-palpable testicular masses. The majority of these are expected to be benign therefore a conservative approach, either active monitoring or organsparing approach, is recommended. However, there are no clinical or radiological parameters which define the exact nature of such lesions and optimal patient selection criteria are lacking. In this comprehensive review we discuss the significance of incidental, small testicular masses (STMs) and the role of organ-sparing approach in the management of these lesions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A non-systematic search was performed using PubMed to identify articles that covered the following topics; clinical implications at diagnosis, role of imaging in identifying the malignant capabilities of a lesion, role of surgery and the final pathology.

RESULTS

Incidental STMs are routinely identified following ultrasound examination of infertile men. STMs usually measure a few millimeters in size and the majority of these are benign. Therefore, strict follow up or an organ-sparing approach, with utilisation of frozen section analysis (FSA), is favored for STMs. FSA has a high correlation with final pathology and prevents unnecessary orchidectomies. Advances in imaging, namely ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging may provide enhanced assessment of STMs and guidance intraoperatively.

CONCLUSIONS

The optimal approach is not well defined and there is no specific clinical parameter that can predict the nature of STMs. The increasing incidence of small, benign testicular masses has resulted in the development of organ-sparing surgery to investigate and manage these lesions. Organ-sparing surgery has been shown to be practical and carries excellent oncological outcomes.

The role of radiological surveillance in the conservative management of incidental small testicular masses: A systematic review

Objective: The increasing use of scrotal ultrasonography (US) for non-cancerous indications has led to greater detection of incidental, small testicular masses. Operative intervention is currently the mainstay of treatment for all testicular tumours; however, despite the low malignant potential of small, incidental masses, little is known about conservative management using radiological surveillance.

Methods: A systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted and studies meeting the inclusion criteria were reviewed for patient outcomes.

Results: A total of 293 patients across six studies underwent radiological surveillance for an incidental small testicular mass. Infertility was the main indication for investigation and all studies used US as the surveillance modality. A total of 37 patients (12.6%) underwent surgical exploration during follow-up, with only 10 (3.4%) found to have malignant disease at histology.

Conclusions: Radiological surveillance of incidental small testicular masses is safe when used for select patient groups due to the high probability of benign disease, although optimal patient selection criteria and a well-defined protocol are lacking. This approach could be considered in patients with incidental, impalpable testicular masses of ≤5 mm in diameter displaying no significant size increase or internal vascularity on US and with negative tumour markers, as the probability of malignancy in these patients is low.

Testis-Sparing Surgery for Non-Palpable Leydig Cell Tumors in Prepubertal Children

Leydig cell tumor (LCT) is an infrequent stromal neoplasm of the testis with an incidence of less than 3% of all gonadal tumors in the general male population. Only 25% is found in prepubertal children, where Leydig cell tumors are always reported benign. The hospital records of two prepubertal male children, who underwent organ sparing surgery for testicular LCT the last five years, were retrospectively reviewed. In both of them, the lesion was incidentally found during a scrotal ultrasonography for testicular pain. The diagnosis of a benign LCT was based on the pre-operative physical examination and imaging (Ultrasound-US, Magnetic Resonance Imaging-MRI) as well as the negative tumor markers. A testicle-sparing procedure was decided and the pathologic examination of the surgical specimen confirmed the diagnosis. No tumor recurrence was noted on follow-up. Testis-sparing surgery provides the possibility of complete excision of such lesions and should be considered as the treatment of choice.

Management of testicular Leydig cell tumor: A case report

RATIONALE

Testicular Leydig cell tumor (LCT) is a rare neoplasm. It commonly presents as a painless testicular mass with or without endocrine changes. Histological and immunohistochemical examination play important roles in differentiating LCT from testicular germ cell tumors.

PATIENT CONCERNS

We highlight the imaging phenotype, as well as the pathological findings of a case of LCT in a 62-year-old male.

DIAGNOSES

Preoperative noncontrast CT scan of the abdomen revealed a 7.0 × 6.4 × 5.3 cm oval mass with heterogeneous density, located in the right testis. Pelvic noncontrast MRI showed a heterogeneous mass on T1-weighted and T2-weighted images. The solid part of the tumor exhibited high signal on the diffusion-weighted imaging, and an obvious enhancement on the contrast-enhanced MR imaging. Ultrasonography examination demonstrated a large mixed echogenic space occupying lesion involving the whole right testis with multiple cystic areas and increased vascularity. This patient underwent radical orchiectomy. The pathologic diagnosis was LCT.

INTERVENTIONS

This patient underwent operative resection of the tumor. Due to the negative resection margins and absence of distant metastases, the patient did not receive additional radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

OUTCOMES

Four months after the surgery, the follow-up CT-scan did not reveal any local recurrence and distant metastases.

LESSONS

This case improves our ability to detect and diagnose LCT by summarizing its imaging characteristics as well as reviewing the literature. Additionally, we described the state-of-the-art management of the management of this rare tumor.