Journal de colonne vertébrale et de neurochirurgie

Never Underestimate the Metastatic Potential of a Rarely Metastasizing Tumor. Thoracic and Epidural Metastasis of a Seminoma

Athanasios K Petridis, Homajoun Maslety, Johannes Van de Nes and Martin Scholz

Never Underestimate the Metastatic Potential of a Rarely Metastasizing Tumor. Thoracic and Epidural Metastasis of a Seminoma

Objective: Seminomas are germ cell tumors which metastasize rarely in regions outside the lymphatic drainage pathways of the testicles.

We report the case of a middle aged male patient who underwent orchiectomy and radiation therapy because of a seminoma. Seventeen months after surgery the patient complained of thoracic back pain and conservative treatment was applied. An MRI of the thoracic spine identified a tumor on Thoracic vertebra Th2 with epidural growth. The patient underwent surgery and the tumor was histologically a seminoma metastasis.

Conclusion: This case report shows that the medical history of a tumor should always alert the doctor (also in case of nonspecific symptoms) to the possibility of a metastasis, no matter how low the metastasis potential is considered to be and should never be underestimated.