Aortic replacement during post chemotherapy retroperitoneal residual tumor resection for nonseminomatous germ cell tumor: a case report

A 59-year-old man visited our hospital complaining of epigastralgia. A large hard mass was palpable in the abdominal cavity. Abdominal computed tomography revealed large retroperitoneal cystic tumors. His left testis was hard and swollen. Under the diagnosis of testicular tumor and retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis, left radical orchiectomy was performed and the histopathological examination showed mature teratoma. He was diagnosed with nonseminomatous germ cell tumor and retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis (TNM classification stage IIC). He received three cycles of chemotherapy with bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin and we performed retroperitoneal residual tumor resection. Because the tumor tightly adhered to the aortic wall, abdominal aorta was resected and replaced by an artificial vessel. The post-operative course was uneventful. Histopathological diagnosis was cystopapillary adenocarcinoma and mature teratoma. The patient is well 1 and a half years after the operation without recurrence.